Adventurer
by Mommadon
Summary: A few weeks after Miracle Queen, Marinette and Adrien try to work out new relationships and come to terms with lingering feelings. Contains Season 3 spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

Adrien stretched his shoulders and back gently, then swiftly knocked an arrow. A deep breath in, and a small motion from his fingertips, and the arrow whooshed to its mark with a thump. Bullseye. He fired two more. He hadn't had extensive archery practice, but he had been athletically talented even before his father's intense training or his secret life as Chat Noir. He continued emptying his quiver, making more shots than missing, and began feeling more relaxed. As he retrieved his arrows, there was a rustle of activity from the direction of the front door.

"The reservation is under 'Agreste,'" she was saying firmly.

"Oh, yes, target twelve," the old clerk replied. As soon as Kagami came around the desk and was in view of Adrien, he waved. She walked quickly and stiffly toward him with a small smile on her face. She carried an ornate case, painted burgundy with white and pink flowers and gold filigree.

"I didn't think our appointment was until one," she said tersely.

"Oh, I was a few minutes early and thought I'd set up," he said. "Do you need some help with your case?"

"No, I can manage just fine." She opened the case and pulled out one of her bows. She ran her fingers carefully over the length of it, checking for flaws. Apparently, she didn't find any, because she stepped into it, bent it to her will, strung it, then swung it over her shoulder and behind her back. "Shall I teach you, then?"

"Uh…huh?" Adrien replied, not sure what she was talking about.

"Archery. You said you weren't an archer. Shall I teach you?" Something about the awkward smile and stiffness of her back made him want to burst out laughing. But she was serious. That's when the idea struck him.

"Oh, I was under the impression we were just going to hang out and have fun today," he said, rubbing the base of his neck sheepishly.

"This _is_ fun," she replied mechanically with the same awkward smile. What was just a thought immediately formed as a fully-fledged plan in Adrien's mind. He would get her to laugh, if it was the last thing he did.

"Teach away, Sensei," he joked with a little bow.

She glared. "Don't call me that. 'Sensei' is a term of deepest respect."

"Oh, sorry," he backpedaled.

She launched into a history of archery, while demonstrating a few stretches that he copied mindlessly. "No, Adrien, like this," she kept saying. "You have the physique of an archer, but you are sloppy."

"Sorry," he said again. He was losing count on how many times he'd apologized.

Eventually she let him pick up his bow. "Now," she instructed, "Tall back, straight elbow, eyes open, train your vision and your breath." She took one of her own long black arrows, knocked it, and let it fly. She was a good shot, there was no doubt to that. If Adrien hadn't been planning otherwise, they would have been evenly matched. "Your turn," she said, stepping back to give him space. He reached for an arrow from his quiver and tossed it in the air, letting it spin a few times like a baton before catching it deftly. Kagami gasped. "_Adrien! _We do not play with the arrows like toys! These are deadly weapons," she scolded.

"Sorry," he said yet again, but he couldn't help but smirk at the aghast look on her face. He put the arrow on the string and held it as obnoxiously as he could with a closed fist. He let the arrow slip away from the bow a few times.

"No, Adrien, like this," she said, with an edge to her voice, now. She pressed one hand on his shoulder and the other into the small of his back and forced him to stand straight. Then she reached around him and took his right hand in hers on the string, and guided his left with her hand. He could feel her breath on his neck. He turned his head to look at her and waggled his eyebrows.

"Is this better?" he said in a low, flirty voice.

Her eyes were fixed straight ahead. "Eyes forward," she snapped. This was harder than he'd expected. He let the arrow go, purposefully pushing the string so that the arrow lacked enough power to make it to the target.

"No, no, no!" she stammered, her voice raising in pitch and decibel with every word. "You have no strength, no discipline, no form, and what's more, you—_what is so funny?_" she growled, stamping her foot.

"You're kind of cute when you're angry," he said, trying to tame the smirk that had stolen across his face. "It reminds me of someone else I know."

"Oh yes?" she said, still shrill, but slightly better. "And who might that be?"

"No one," Adrien responded quickly, "Just an acquaintance." Perhaps he'd answered too quickly, but she didn't notice.

"Well, try again." At her command he picked up an arrow and it soared to the left of the target. "Again." He shot it into the ground. "Again." This one went too high. "Again!" He dropped his back elbow and made a little "pew!" sound when he let it go. "AGAIN!" she shouted.

"I dunno, Kagami, I don't think I'm cut out for archery."

She glared at him again, pushed him aside, and pulled her own bow into position. "You're just not—" she let the first arrow go— "trying." A second flew. "You lack strength." A third met the target. "You lack discipline." A fourth bullseye. "You lack focus." A fifth. "And most of all, you lack heart." The sixth arrow slammed into the target and emptied her quiver.

"Wow, you're really fantastic," Adrien said, realizing that the clumsy-archer tactic was ticking her off more than flattering her. He decided to try a new tactic in the get-Kagami-to-laugh-plan. They walked to the target together to retrieve their arrows. Adrien picked his up off the floor and jumped to get the ones from the net behind the target. "Do you want to go get some ice cream or something?"

"No ice cream until you at least hit the target," she said firmly. "You will never improve if you quit before you even try."

He walked back to the other side of the range quietly, took his bow, and grinned wickedly at her. "So, I just have to hit the target and we can go get ice cream?"

"We can go when you've gained some degree of focus," she said with a little nod.

"Thank you, Sensei," he bowed.

Now she glared in earnest. "I told you not to call me that! Do you have any respect for me or my heritage?"

"Kagami—I'm sorry," he responded with slumped shoulders.

"No! You aren't! I'm not sure you are serious about archery at all!" she shouted.

"To be honest, I'm not. I just wanted to spend time with you."

She looked puzzled. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Well, yes, but I wanted to have fun. That's what a date is. It's having fun together."

"This _is _fun," she said for the second time. He just rolled his eyes and picked up his bow and an arrow, which he fired toward the target. He turned away from it before it even hit.

"There. I hit the target. Now can we go?"

She glared at his bullseye, and then at him. "You weren't taking this seriously. You were making fun of me."

"No, Kagami, I was just—"

"You think this is a joke. You think I'm a joke."

"No—" But it was too late. She turned her back to him, scooped up her case, and marched for the exit. He called after her, chased her to her car, but it was no use. This date was a bust. He looked at his watch. His father wasn't expecting him home for a few more hours. Apparently he had more faith in his son's dating abilities than he should. Adrien tried to shoot another arrow or two, but he wasn't feeling archery any more. He retrieved his arrows, put them away in the locker, and slumped to the exit.

Half a block later, he slipped down a quiet alley and Plagg emerged from his shirt pocket with a burst of laughter. "Oh Adrien! Her face! You just… Oh man! Never in ten million years! That was almost as good as a piece of camembert!"

"Shut up, Plagg," Adrien bantered, but he couldn't withhold his smile. "It didn't work. I was just trying to make her laugh."

"Kagami? Laugh? I think the world would self-destruct, even without my Cataclysm!" The tiny cat's words were supposed to comfort him, but Adrien realized they were true. Kagami wasn't a laughing sort of girl. She wasn't someone he could tease, flirt with, or joke with. Mostly to get Plagg to stop laughing, Adrien punched the air and shouted, "Claws out!"

* * *

Within a second, he was flying over the rooftops of Paris. He loved this world. This is where he felt alive and free. He didn't think he was going anywhere in particular, but as he launched over the park, he realized his heart was guiding him to where he knew he would feel happy. He could smell it before he saw it. The cheerful little bakery felt more like home than anywhere else. As he got closer, his cat ears picked up the peal of laughter from the open window below, where, undoubtedly, Marinette was helping her parents create those incredible smells. Yearning desperately for some fun, and with his heart still in control, he knocked on the door.

Tom was flabbergasted to see Chat Noir at his doorstep. "Uh, Chat Noir? Can I… Can I help you?"

Suddenly, the boy behind the mask realized that he'd just knocked on the baker's door. He blushed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dupain, I was just in the neighborhood and smelled your delicious goods and was wondering… if maybe… I could just say hello or something…" He really should have thought this through.

But Tom Dupain was an amazing man. His face broke into a massive grin and his eyes lit up just like Marinette's. "Come in, young man! We're making macarons!" In three seconds flat, Chat Noir went from standing on the front door step like a lost kitten to dressed in a flowery apron with a whisk and a bowl in his hands. Marinette and Sabine watched Tom bustle over his new pet with slack jaws.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette stammered, "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…"

"Nevermind that, this young man would like a lesson in making macarons, and it's his lucky day!" Tom boomed with pride.

Sabine interjected, "Now Tom, did he actually _tell _you he wanted a macaron making lesson?"

Chat Noir just laughed, realizing what he wanted as he spoke it out loud, "Mrs. Cheng, I would _love _a lesson in making macarons." Inwardly, he recalled the disastrous date with Kagami, and felt a pang of regret that he was spending this afternoon without her, but he just wanted to be happy again. In the ten seconds he'd spent in this place thus far, he was already far happier than the thirty-minute archery fiasco with Kagami. Sabine smiled and nodded her approval. Marinette was still too stunned to speak.

"Chat—can I call you Chat? Here, start separating these eggs. Sabine, dear, would you get us some more almond flour? Are you ok with almonds? We recently had a disastrous moment when one of our customers ate an almond macaron that was supposed to be coconut…" Tom was talking non-stop. It was just what the doctor ordered.

"So what are you _really _doing here?" Marinette hissed to Chat, once she'd regained her composure. Tom didn't notice no one was paying attention to him. Marinette was measuring ingredients and had a bit of flour on her cheek. It was adorable.

"Like I said, I was in the neighborhood," he laughed. Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I was just feeling a little low and this place… your family makes me happy."

"Put your elbow into it!" Tom bellowed. Chat dutifully amped up the speed of his whisking. "So, Chat, what flavor should we make today?"

"Well," he thought, scratching his chin, "I love passionfruit… I mean, my friend Adrien said Marinette made a passionfruit one once, but he never got to taste it. Maybe we could make some, and I could swing a box by for him when we're done? I need to talk to him anyway." Even he had to compliment himself on his smooth coverup. Marinette visibly tensed when he had said the word 'Adrien.'

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Sabine sighed. "Marinette's been trying to get a passionfruit macaron to Adrien for weeks."

Chat was surprised to see Marinette drop her eyes and blush furiously. "No, we don't have to do passionfruit," she stammered, grinding her toe into the floor.

"Young lady, Chat Noir is our guest, and he wants passionfruit, so passionfruit it is!" Tom announced, and Marinette tripped over nothing and the bowl of ingredients went flying. Chat's miraculous-enhanced reflexes jumped into action and he caught the bowl with one hand and scooped the ingredients mid-air. The room was silent. Chat became hyper aware that everyone was staring at him, a whisk in one hand, a bowl full of rescued ingredients in the other, balancing on his toes, Marinette still grasping at air to hold her up, and everyone blinking—too stunned to move. "Marinette," Tom whispered, "I think we just found the cure to your clumsiness…" As if rehearsed, the room erupted in to deafening laughter. Marinette's eyes watered. Tom hugged his ribs. Sabine giggled behind her hand, her cheeks pink. Chat tossed his head back and roared in delight. But deep down, his heart swelled. _This _was what he had ached for. _This _was the world he wanted.

* * *

"Are you sure you have to go?" Sabine asked as she packed up a third box of passionfruit macarons for Chat. "Would you like us to write a note to anyone to let them know where you were?"

"Yes Ma'am, I mean, no ma'am… I mean, yes I have to go. No, I don't need a note," he responded, "and if I stay here any longer, I won't fit into my cat suit!" He jokingly tugged at his belt/tail waistband.

"Well, thank you for coming, and you know you're welcome any time," she chortled.

Chat looked at Marinette, who was genuinely smiling. "Yeah," she emphasized, "any time." He smiled back at her. He couldn't remember having this much fun with someone in a very long time.

Just then the storefront entrance bell dinged and everyone looked up to see Luka Coffaine enter. He and Marinette made quick eye contact, before she blushed and looked away. It wasn't the same kind of blush that Adrien had seen so frequently. This was different. Her smile faded. Her shoulders dropped. Her eyebrows knit together. Her fists tensed. Luka didn't smile at Marinette; his face remained passive. "Mr. Dupain," he said formally, "I'm here for the first delivery." Tom didn't notice the interaction between the delivery boy and his daughter, but Chat did.

"Yes, yes, Luka, of course," Tom blustered, and began gathering boxes of chocolate croissants and delicate lace tarts.

"Mrs. Cheng, I trust you are well? And Ma-Marinette?" he said stiffly, nodding to each one of them. Then, Luka finally made eye contact with Chat Noir. "_Chat Noir?_ What are _you _doing here?"

Tom looked up abruptly from his busywork, "Oh, Luka, do you know our dear Chat? He's been here helping in the bakery this afternoon, isn't that wonderful?"

Luka's eyes were doing math. They bounced from Chat, to the boxes of passionfruit macarons, to Marinette (whose angry blush had gone an even deeper shade of pink), back to Chat, and back to Marinette. "He-Helping? In the bakery?"

"Yes, why shouldn't he help out in the bakery? This young man has a fine palate, and has a talent for catching flying ingredients right out of the air!"

"I see," he said. Finally, Marinette looked up at Luka. Chat was surprised to see her eyes slightly red, as if she were holding back tears. Luka kept his eyes fixed on Marinette, but asked Tom, "and was it an enjoyable afternoon? Full of excitement?"

"Oh yes," Tom boomed, still oblivious of the cold air between Marinette (who was now shaking her head slowly) and Luka. "Always an adventure with Chat Noir around! He's a regular riot!"

"I suppose it would be. Well, I'll get that order out, then," he said quietly, taking the boxes and sliding out the door.

"Luka!" Marinette called, making a motion for the door.

Sabine gently grabbed her daughter's hand and shook her head. "Let him go, dear. He still needs some time." As she let go of Marinette's hand, Sabine made eye contact with Chat. It was clear that Chat was much more in-tune with Marinette than Tom was. "Sweetheart, why don't you take Chat up to the balcony so he can head home his favorite way. It'll draw less attention than if he goes via the front door."

Marinette, still flushed, took the boxes of passionfruit macarons and walked slowly to the stairs. Chat followed her. "Um, Marinette, what was that with you and Luka?" he whispered.

"I don't know what you mean," she tried, but he gave her a blazing look. "Oh, alright. Luka and I are friends. Recently, we tried to be more than that. He really wanted it. I did too. I mean, I do too. I don't know… I guess I don't know what I wanted at all. I wanted to love him. But, when we were on a date, well, it was my own fault I know, but I just…"

Chat paused on the stairs and took her arm gently. "Marinette, it's ok, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok, and I love that I have a friend I can talk to about this. Maybe you can tell me, as a guy, you know, what I should do. It's just that Luka is so… calm. It's one of the things that first drew me to him. But we were on a date last night, and all he did was sit and play music. It was sweet at first, but after an hour, I asked if we could go and do something new. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. I probably shouldn't have asked for something more exciting. I feel so stupid." She buried her eyes in her hands.

"You… asked him if he you could do something more exciting?" Chat echoed. She nodded. "And he got angry?"

"Not angry so much; Luka doesn't get angry. He doesn't get defensive. He doesn't get much of any which way. He's just… _calm. _He was disappointed and _calm."_

"And you wanted something more?"

"Yeah, I suppose, I just thought maybe we could laugh, or go out on a walk, or to an amusement park, or something fun. You know?"

"Yes. I know." He knew exactly what she meant—about wanting to laugh, to have fun together with someone special.

"I can't believe I've done it again," she muttered. "I just can't seem to make it work out with anybody."

"Again?"

She blushed the smiley-pink this time. "Oh, it's nothing. Just, I blew it with a different guy recently. Someone I had hoped would be _someone_. Not that he knew. I just couldn't get past myself. Has that ever happened to you?"

"Yes," he admitted. Now it was his turn to blush and look away, rubbing the back of his neck. "But you already know how I feel about Ladybug, and how she feels about me."

"Feel?" Marinette raised an eyebrow. So, she had noticed his choice of tense as well. He surprised even himself. He had been trying to bury those feelings for the past few weeks. But when he said her name, the pain ripped through him, searing like lava. He hung his head. He wasn't sure he would ever get over her entirely, no matter how desperately he wanted to. Marinette reached out to him with concern in her eyes, and Chat noticed how blue they were today. She touched his arm gently, but he stepped forward and pulled her to him in a full embrace. They hugged that way for a few seconds, sharing what words alone could never express.

Suddenly, they were ripped from the moment when Marinette's phone and Chat Noir's staff beeped simultaneously. They both instinctively checked their updates and saw the news footage of a blue-haired supervillain turning the streets of Paris into an enormous roller coaster. Flaming blue carts scooped people up and trapped them inside, then hopped on the tracks and zoomed off while the blue-haired supervillain smiled smugly. Chat realized with a pang in his stomach that the footage wasn't from just any street, but the street they were on—just a block away from the Dupain Bakery. Blue eyes met green. They communicated the horror of the situation to each other wordlessly. "Marin—" he began, but she shook her head, and simply said,

"Go."

* * *

The warmth from Chat Noir's hug hadn't left her shoulders when Marinette opened her purse to talk to Tikki. She knew who the supervillain was, and what he was angry about. "Tikki! What should I do? Luka's been akumatized, and it's all my fault! I don't know if I should talk to him as me or as Ladybug."

Tikki looked at her with wide eyes, "Marinette, you know only Ladybug can stop an akuma. Let's get going!"

"I know," Marinette said, racing to the window to see the roller coaster tracks zooming toward her home, "but my parents aren't safe, and Luka needs to talk to Marinette. He needs Marinette."

"There will be time for that after he's been deakumatized! Chat Noir can't hold him off forever!"

"Oh Tikki, what am I going to do about Chat Noir? No matter what I do, he just can't get over Ladybug!"

"Marinette!"

"He was so upset. And so cute, helping in the bakery today, I can't believe how sweet he was."

"MARINETTE!" Tikki was screaming and pulling on Marinette's earlobe.

"Oh, right!" Marinette snapped to attention. "Tikki, Spots on!" She carefully swung behind the park so she would arrive from the opposite direction of her home. The news footage hadn't done justice to the situation. Luka was riding in a flaming blue cart down the road, his hair wild and his eyes mimicking the same eerie blue flames as the cart. From underneath the wheels of his cart issued snakes of roller coaster tracks, that reached into houses and carted off terrified citizens. He had nearly reached Marinette's house.

"Marinette!" he called, in his deadly-calm voice, "I am Adventurer! Come here! Come have an adventure with me!"

"Ladybug!" she heard Chat Noir's voice exclaim. She spotted him battling a piece of track just behind Luka. The track was twisting and slashing at Chat, trying to pin him long enough for a cart to scoop him up. "Get Marinette! She's in there!"

"I know!" she shouted back, carefully choosing her words. She didn't want Luka to go anywhere else; she wanted to keep the fight right here where she could contain the damage. "I warned her to hide but she didn't have time to leave!"

"_What?"_ Chat Noir screamed in an uncharacteristically frightened voice. _"You have to SAVE HER!"_

Ladybug didn't have time to process Chat Noir's concern for her true self when Adventurer spun to face him—along with three more coaster tracks. "Oh, of course you'd be worried about _Marinette," _he spat. "Since you two are so close."

"Luka, I don't know what you think you saw," Chat tried to reason, "but I swear, Marinette and I are just friends." A roller coaster track slammed into his stomach and knocked him to the ground with a thud. Another snaked around his leg and lifted him into the air.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo and swung into the fray. She hit the track holding Chat Noir upside down and it dropped him. She slid underneath him just in time to catch him.

"Thanks," he muttered. No _My Lady. _No cat puns. Not even a smile, just like the last two weeks. Her heart sank, but she shook her head and refocused.

"Adventurer, if you want Marinette, you're going to have to go through me!" she yelled.

"No," Chat countered, "through _us!_" And he was back on his feet, fighting like a crazed man. Ladybug had rarely seen him so determined. They each had three or four railroad tracks sailing at them. For every one they hacked back, two new grew, like the heads of a nasty metal hydra. They couldn't get past the tracks to get close to Adventurer, who was directing the flow of tracks from his cart with his hands on what looked like a steering device… like handlebars.

"Chat! I think the akuma is in his cart! I think it's his bike!" She yelled over the hubbub.

"But how are we going to get there? I can't use my power because the tracks keep growing back!" Chat was frantic.

"Let me think!" She yelled. She looked around, and no solution popped up. She threw her yo-yo in the air and screamed, "Lucky Charm!" A pink rose fell at Chat's feet. Ladybug took over battling his tracks as he picked up the flower delicately. "What in the world? It went to _you_," she yelled.

"I think… I think we need Marinette," he said quietly.

The few moments of one-on-one fighting had given Adventurer the advantage. A track flew from his feet toward the bakery, blasted through the front window, and a cart emerged seconds later, encapsulating Marinette's terrified parents.

"No!" Ladybug and Chat Noir screamed in tandem.

Adventurer laughed menacingly. "So, you're not home, are you, Marinette? Ladybug must have been lying about you being there!"

Chat Noir shouted in jubilation at the revelation. Adventurer's cart turned around and zoomed off down the road, leaving a wake of destruction behind him. Chat didn't follow.

"I need to find Marinette," he growled, and launched himself toward the bakery.

"Chat, let's think this through. Where do you think she would be?" Ladybug asked, trying to buy some time.

"She was just there!"

"I know," Ladybug countered, "but I saw her just before I got here, and I told her to hide. It was that direction," she pointed. Chat didn't wait for her. He tore off like a shot, the way that Ladybug had swung in.

* * *

She flew to the balcony of her home, slid through the trap door while screaming "Spots off!" Tikki was shaking. Marinette cradled her gently and gave her one of the passionfruit macaroons still sitting on her desk. "Oh Tikki, what do we do now?"

"Well, I would suggest going to see Master Fu—"  
"Perfect idea!" Marinette said, racing for the door, but Tikki flew in front of her face with her tiny arms held out.

"Marinette, stop!" Her heels dug into the ground and she skidded to a halt.

The gravity of the situation crashed on her and she sunk to her knees. "Oh." She said. "I can't go see Master Fu."

"Marinette, I think this might be time for Plan A."

"Are you sure?" Marinette said with tears welling up again. She and Tikki had made several contingency plans the night after Master Fu left. She didn't think she would have to use them this soon.

"Yes. He always told you to choose an ally you could trust. And you need to trust them more than ever, now that you're the Guardian."

Marinette thought her heart was breaking. She went to the wardrobe where she had hidden the red miracle box. She pulled the silver key from the chain hanging under her shirt-never would she take it off-and inserted it into the lock. No one gave her a pep-talk this time. She still wasn't sure this was the right course of action, but with Adventurer wreaking havoc on Paris and Chat Noir chasing her true self down, time wasn't on her side. She grabbed the foxtail necklace, locked the box, and ran.

* * *

Alya's eyes didn't dart from the screen as she dialed Marinette's phone number for the fourth time in as many minutes. "C'mon Marinette, pick up!" she yelled at the ringtone. "Where _is _that girl?"

"I'm right here, Alya," Marinette's voice said softly from behind her.

"Marinette? What are you doing visiting me? There's a supervillain after you! I've been so worried!"

"I'm sorry about that," Marinette said. "It's my fault. I'm no good with boys."

"Oh girl, you know that's not true—"  
"But that's not why I came to visit you," Marinette interjected. "I am so sorry it has to be this way. I wanted to tell you differently. I wanted it to be when it was all over and we could just be normal girls again."

"What are you babbling on about?"

"Alya," she said, pulling out a small brown box from her pocket, "I need your help."

Of course Alya recognized the Miraculous immediately. Her jaw fell. "How did you get that?"

Marinette just looked at her, shaking slightly, trying to form words. "Alya… Alya Cesaire, this is the miraculous of the..."

But Alya knew. It was as if she'd always known. She threw her arms around her best friend. "You amazing girl…Ladybug… all this time?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes."

"And that mean's you're the guardian now."

"Yes."

"But Hawk Moth knows I'm Rena Rouge—" Alya said. Marinette thanked the heavens for her brilliant friend, who wasn't going to dwell on the details or feel hurt that she'd been left out, but who would understand everything immediately and jump into action. Tikki was right. This was definitely the right person at the right time. "I can't exactly go out right now."

"I know, that's why I need you to not be seen. I've got a plan. Listen to me carefully…"  
"Lady, I trust you _implicitly."_

* * *

"Marinette! Marinette?" Chat Noir called hopelessly into the deserted evening. "Where are you?"

"Chat!" His heart jumped as he heard her call his name, and turned to the sound, but when he saw Ladybug swinging toward him, his heart (much to his surprise) fell.

"Oh, Ladybug, I thought you were… oh well, did you find Marinette?"

"Yes," she said, with an edge of panic to her voice. "She's gone after Adventurer. We've got to go help her!"

"Where is he?"

"The Eiffel Tower. C'mon!"

As they jumped over rooftops and ran at top speed, Chat asked, "Was she alright when you saw her?"

"She was fine—why so worried?"  
"She's my friend."  
"Just your friend?"

"Yeah, and I don't want her to get hurt, okay? Leave me alone about it! It's not like you've ever cared about my feelings!"

"Chat, that's not fair. I've always cared about your feelings."

"Yeah? As soon as someone shows up who seems to like me you get all defensive and crazy. Can't I have friends too?"

"I am _not _defensive and crazy!"

"Well, I'm not asking you about your friends!" he growled. She grabbed his tail and skidded to a halt. "HEY!" he yelled, reeling back on her.

"Listen to me, Kitty. You are the best partner and best friend I've ever had. You mean _everything _to me. I know I've broken your heart more times than either of us can count, and I keep telling you I am sorry about that. I think that part of my life is over anyway," she said, as tears slid underneath her mask and softly to the ground. "The boy…he loves someone else. So now I feel even worse that I hurt you over him. I wish I could take it all back, ok? I am sorry!"

He didn't know what to say or do. He sat there, mouth gaping like a fish while his stomach did summersaults.

Ladybug thought about kissing him just to get him to snap out of it, but she knew that would be crossing a line. He had only recently stopped calling her 'Bugaboo' and asking her on dates every other minute. For her to kiss him now would be salt on a very open wound.

"Now," she said quietly, "We need to stop Adventurer. If you want to talk, I will meet you later, after our Kwamis have had time to rest, on the rooftop where you made me dinner. Alright? Chat?"

He shook his head and his eyes sharpened. She loved this about him—the way he would snap to attention when it was needed the most. They raced the rest of the way to the Eiffel tower in silence.

Adventurer was there. The roller coaster tracks swirled up the sides of the tower. Hundreds of carts raced in, filled with victims. The carts linked up and were growing into a huge rocket-shaped dome. "I think when there's enough carts, it's going to take off to the sun," Chat Noir observed.

"You're right, Kitty," Ladybug replied. "But Adventurer doesn't know that we're on a _roll_," she joked. A tiny smile played at Chat Noir's mouth. "You know, we've really got this whole thing on _track_. We're about to _coast_ to the finish line, y'know?"

"Me_ow_," he replied before skyrocketing into action.

"_There's _my Kitty," she muttered, before letting her yo-yo carry her toward the battle.

* * *

"Marinette! Come on an adventure with me!" Adventurer was taunting from the middle of the Eiffel tower. Chat Noir silently prowled around the perimeter of the tower, trying to spot a weakness. Ladybug landed next to him so lightly that if it weren't for his cat ears, he wouldn't have noticed her.

"Any ideas?" she whispered to him.

"You're asking me for ideas?" he whispered back. "You're the Ladybug!"

"Yeah, and you're holding the rose," she whispered back. He looked down. He'd forgotten he was still clutching the Lucky Charm. He looked around. There was a shadow in the fading darkness, almost half a mile away, and hiding behind a tree. Again, if it weren't for his Miraculous eyes, he'd have no clue it was there. But his heart did a backflip when he realized who it was.

"Ok, you distract Adventurer. I need to go to her." Ladybug nodded at the plan and with a tiny zip, she was off.

"Adventurer! Give up! I'll never let you shoot these people into the sun!" She flew at him like a goddess, her yo-yo a blur of strength. The metal snakes targeted her every limb. She kicked, hacked, zipped, punched, back-flipped, and kicked again. She inched her way toward Adventurer, whose hands were a flurry of activity as he controlled the metal tracks.

"Just give me your Miraculous and I'll let you go," Adventurer leered. "You're not the one I want."

"Never!" Ladybug screamed and fought harder still.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir stole silently through the gardens to the shadowed figure.

"Marinette?" he whispered, "Is that you?"

No response.

"Marinette, you don't have to do this, you know."  
"I do, Chat. It was my fault. He needs to know I'm sorry."

"I can tell him that you're sorry. You don't have to put yourself in danger for him."

"Chat, thank you for your concern, but Luka needs to hear from me. I know what to do." She stepped out from the shadows. There was a hard look on her face. He instinctively reached for her, but she pulled away before he touched her. "No, please, don't stop me," she said, holding up a hand.

"I won't stop you, but I will protect you. That's what friends are for."

"And we might need your cataclysm when the time comes," she added.

"Now _that_ I can do. I await your signal, My Lady." The pet name slipped out before he could hold it back. But she didn't seem phased by it. He charged forward, headfirst into twenty metal tracks attracted to the motion. His staff flew, slashing back tracks faster than they could regenerate. He was making serious headway.

Ladybug, on the other hand, was not. The tracks were hitting hard, and she was losing energy. The rocket of entombed victims began rattling as if preparing for launch. She got caught on the left leg with a fierce blow, then a second on her back, and a third squarely in her chest.

Chat's ears were drawn to the piercing scream and he looked to see Ladybug hit a fourth time in the stomach and go flying backward. It was as if time slowed down. Marinette was feet behind him, sweet, kind Marinette who always listened to him. Alone, defenseless, brave Marinette. Ladybug was falling, flying backwards, defeated, broken, alone, defenseless, brave. He was torn.

But Marinette screamed behind him, for the second time that night—"GO!" so he slammed his stick into the ground and extended it, hurtling himself toward Ladybug. His arms wrapped around her waist a split second before impact, just enough time to twist his torso hard and place himself between her soft body and the cruel pavement. Even with the suit, he was sure he'd cracked a rib.

Ladybug was fighting to stay conscious, but she pushed herself up and away from Chat Noir. He was gasping for breath after the hard impact. "Chat Noir, no! Are you alright? C'mon Kitty, talk to me!" Her hands flew down his arms and torso, similarly to how Kagami had checked the bow for flaws earlier that day. "Oh, Chat, please be ok, you've got to be ok… I need you to be ok…" she whimpered.

A deep rattling breath crossed his lips, and then a painful cough, and at last, he whispered, "I should have tried breaking a five-story-fall for you _ages_ ago." A smile played at his lips.

"Oh, _Chat," _she sighed with feigned exasperation. "Why would you… you didn't have to—"

"I always will."

She helped him to his feet. He was still a bit shaky, but recovering from the hit quickly, thanks to the magic of the miraculous. He struck an offensive pose and started advancing Adventurer again. His eyes were slits of malice. But someone else was going to beat him to the punch. He watched in horror as Marinette spoke and made her presence known. "Luka, you need to stop this."

"There is no Luka, only Adventurer! Marinette, come take an adventure with me, I promise it will be exciting," he growled. The snakelike metal tracks deserted Chat Noir and Ladybug and slithered toward Marinette. But she didn't flinch, she just kept walking toward him. Her eyes were as intense and brilliant as laser beams. He tried to match her gaze, but he couldn't.

"Please, Luka, please listen to me. These people didn't do anything to you. I did. If you're going to hurt anyone, hurt me." Chat Noir was transfixed by her. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You're a brilliant musician and an amazing friend. I would never want that to change."

"But—all you want is adventure," he said, trying to turn from her hypnotic eyes. But he was enraptured, just like the boy behind the mask. Adrien had never heard Marinette speak like this—so bold, so strong. She kept walking forward and raised a hand toward him. She started singing. It was so quiet that only Adventurer and Chat Noir could hear it. It was a lovely melody Chat had never heard before, but it made Adventurer's twisting metal snakes stop in midair. She kept walking, singing stronger now. There were no words, just this gentle tune.

The music finished. Adventurer lowered his head in despair. "I wrote that for you. You weren't supposed to turn it against me."

"I'm not against you, Luka. I don't want adventure. I don't want you to be any different than you are. I like you just the way you are. I like _us_ the way we are."

"What if that's not enough for me?" he said under his breath.

"Then I don't deserve you," she said, flushing slightly.

She hummed again. The same tune. Adventurer lowered his face. She was inching closer and closer. Her arms reached up. Adventurer closed his eyes, and so briefly he would have missed it if he hadn't been utterly in awe at this new, spellbinding Marinette, she looked at Chat Noir. He knew what it meant, and he responded with the subtlest of motions. But her eyes were closed as well, her body closer to Adventurer than before, her lips reaching forward to find his. He let go of the handlebar controls to take Marinette in his arms. As Luka took her face in his hands and their lips met, Chat Noir couldn't control himself. "NO!" He yelled. Adventurer jumped at the sound, but simultaneously, Marinette disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"What is this?" Adventurer roared, slashing his hands through the air where Marinette had been. He reached for his controls, but he was too late.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir's claws tore through the cart. A tiny black-and-purple butterfly beat its wings in a desperate attempt to escape the wreckage.

"No more evil-doing for you," Chat heard Ladybug recite as she had so many times before. But he wasn't paying attention any more. He'd been duped by the mirage just as much as Luka had been. He had been so transfixed with this unusual, powerful Marinette that he had fallen for it. He felt stupid, but still in awe.

"Chat Noir, is everything alright?" Ladybug asked after she had released the purified butterfly.

"What? Oh, yeah. I just never saw Marinette act like that before. I didn't realize it was a mirage. I didn't know Rena was here." Ladybug nodded a few times.

"What makes you think it was a mirage?"

"Well, she disappeared—"

"Yes, but how do you know it wasn't _her _words? I asked Rena Rouge for help, yes, but she didn't fabricate a thing. Marinette was with us tonight, even though she used the protection of Mirage." Chat Noir was left stammering. "Now, Chat, can I borrow that, please?" she asked, pointing to the pink rose he had tucked in his waistband before the fight began. He watched her take it from his hand and toss it high into the sky, crying, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Chat Noir watched as the sparkly ladybugs whizzed around Paris, healing the torn pavement, broken windows, and returning all the victims safely home. It never ceased to amaze him.

He took a satisfied breath, reached out his fist to his side, and said, "Pound it!" but Ladybug wasn't there to return the fist-bump. "Milady?" he called, looking around for her. Luka was huddled in a heap under the Eiffel Tower with his bike askew beside him. He was a mess. Chat started toward him, but Marinette came running from the shadows and beat him.

"Luka," she was saying, "I really do like you just the way you are, and I really do like _us _the way we are. I'm sorry if I broke your heart, but you deserve someone who can love you for everything you are. And no matter how hard I try, I just… I just love someone else. I'm so sorry, Luka, I'm so sorry for everything!"

He looked up at her with tenderness and quiet hands. "I know, Marinette. I know you love him, and you probably always will. I just want to be someone you can trust and be happy with."

The two hugged. "That's exactly who you are to me, Luka. I want you to be happy with me as well. And the best way we can be happy together is as friends."

"I know." Chat Noir didn't want to break the scene, but his ring was flashing.

"Luka, do you need a ride home?" he asked, taking a step forward.

He looked at his crumpled bike, and at Marinette, who nodded. "Sure, I guess," Luka responded.

Chat pulled Luka tight against his Ladybug-healed-ribs and used his baton to effortlessly vault him into the sky. "You know Marinette and I are just friends, right?" Chat said.

"Do you have lots of 'just friends' girls?"

"Well, superheroes don't really get the chance to make lots of friends."

"Chat Noir, I think you'd better watch out if you think you can be 'just friends.' Marinette is an incredible person. You'll be shocked."  
"Shocked?" Chat scoffed. "By what? I already know she's incredible."

"Shocked at how fast you'll fall in love with her." They arrived at the boat floating in the Seine. Chat Noir set Luka on his feet, but it was Luka who patted Chat Noir's shoulder. "Just don't hurt her."

Chat Noir tried to respond, but his ring gave another earnest beep, and all he could do was nod solemnly before running to the nearest quiet alley to whisper "Claws in."

* * *

As she sat there in the cool night air with nothing but the sounds of Paris to keep her company, Ladybug realized how lonely it must have been for Chat Noir when he had waited for her in the same place, many months prior. She stood up and paced the length of the rooftop, spinning her yo-yo over and over. Why didn't he come? Was he going to come? Maybe this was a good sign. Maybe he didn't need to talk out his feelings with her. She hadn't set a time, really.

This was silly. She didn't need to sit up all night on the rooftop waiting for Chat Noir to visit her, even if she did offer to talk. She threw her arm out and felt the yo-yo grab a distant pole. She stood there, breathing, deciding, hoping, and was about to swing her way back home, when a voice behind her said, "Leaving so soon, Milady?"

"Oh!" she yelped, dropping her yo-yo and tripping on the string so she slipped down the slanted roof. His strong arm scooped her up and pulled her back to the rooftop, like he did so frequently. "Chat Noir! You came!"

He took a deep breath and looked into her captivating blue eyes. "I just didn't want to leave you up here all night. It doesn't exactly feel good, you know?"

She nodded quietly and reeled her yo-yo back to her. They sat down quietly. "Chat Noir, I really don't know how to tell you everything I feel, without telling you everything."

"You know I'd be game for telling _everything_," he offered hopefully.

"But with Hawkmoth still after our Miraculouses, that's not safe. We must protect our secret identities, above everything! I had to make a tough decision today with Rena Rouge. You deserve to know that I did tell her who I am under the mask." He gasped at this revelation. "But we talked, and she knows that, with this new revelation, and with Hawkmoth knowing _her_ identity, that she will never be able to act as Rena Rouge in the open again. That is the price of being a superhero. That's why we can't share our personal lives with each other, ever—because we would have to give up our Miraculouses and Ladybug and Chat Noir forever. And… and… Oh Chat, if you went away, I would be heartbroken!"

He smiled and ruffled his hair. "I knew you'd miss this old cat. Admit it, you think I'm a-purr-ing!"

She laughed. "A-_purr-_ing? I think you're out of pun practice!" They laughed together for a moment, but then he got serious again.

"You're right. I'm out of practice. And I can't tell you why because it's personal."

Ladybug looked into those masked green eyes and said quietly, "Is someone making you sad?"

"Not sad exactly, just not happy."

She nodded. "Chat Noir, you need happiness in your life. It's okay to want that."

"But," he spilled out before he could stop himself, "how do I tell her that? She's such a good friend and I don't want to hurt her, but we're just so different and I can't even make her laugh and—" Ladybug pressed a finger to his lips.

"Don't tell me anything more," she warned gently. "But my advice, as a girl? You can't be two people. You'll go insane. It's one of the hardest parts of being a superhero. We have to live two lives, but we can't be two different people."

"So you're telling me that I need to let her go?"

"Only you can make that decision. But if you can't be yourself around her, you're not helping her or yourself. And if she doesn't accept you—all of you—then she really doesn't deserve you."

"What do I say to her then?"

Ladybug pondered that question for a second, then said, "Marinette did a pretty good job with Luka tonight, maybe you could say something like that."

"Marinette? Yeah, Marinette is awesome," Chat Noir responded vaguely.

"Awesome, eh?" Ladybug teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh don't start that again," Chat Noir said with an eyeroll, but a smile. It felt so good to be laughing with Ladybug again. "But Ladybug, since we're being serious tonight, I have to tell you—I feel the same way. About being heartbroken if you ever went away."

They were quiet again. She slipped her hand in his, then rested her head on his shoulder. The touch was electric. "Then let's never go away. Deal?"

"Deal, Bugaboo."

* * *

Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic ever. I'm toying with adding a few more chapters to see how this all turns out. Whatchya think?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

There were fourteen missed calls on Adrien's phone when he finally dropped his transformation and dared to look. Two from Nathalie, one from his bodyguard, and eleven from Kagami. He sighed. He was going to feel the consequence of his foray to the bakery. Still, he didn't feel bad about it, not one bit. As he showered and climbed into bed, he couldn't stop smiling.

He figured he'd put out a few fires before bed, so he quickly texted Kagami:

**Adrien: So sorry about today. I swear I wasn't trying to make fun of you. Ended up trapped in one of Adventurer's carts and had to walk home. Can we talk tomorrow?**

It was well after midnight, so he wasn't surprised when she didn't respond. Still, he knew a big conversation was inevitable, and he'd have to make it face-to-face. Ladybug's words to him rung in his ears… you can't be two people at the same time… so that begged the question: who did he really want to be? Were Adrien and Chat Noir two different people? He had never really thought that much about it. He felt free as Chat Noir. Adrien's life was so controlled and intense. But he liked himself as Adrien as well—he knew he was a good person, and that had to count for something.

He shook his head to clear these way-too-deep-for-this-late thoughts, bid goodnight to Plagg, and postponed any further pondering for morning.

* * *

When Marinette came down the stairs for breakfast Sunday morning, her parents immediately knew something was off. Of course Marinette was smiling, of course she ate breakfast and made pleasant conversation. But something was off.

"Marinette, dear, are you sure everything is alright?" Sabine asked for the third time.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Yes, everything is just fine. I think I'll go for a walk though."

"Do you want any company?"

"No, I just want some quiet time. Unless you need any help here? I can certainly stay—"

"We're fine, sweetheart," Tom insisted. "Why don't you take your sketch book?"

"That's a good idea," she said, a bit absently. A few minutes later, Marinette struck out on the streets of Paris, armed with her sketch book and pencil.

She didn't come home for hours. "Who should we call?" Tom said, nervously pacing the bakery floor.

"Oh Tom, there's no need to panic. Our daughter is more than capable of getting home by herself, and she's only been gone a few hours. She said she needed some quiet time. Give her space. She knows we love her."  
"But Sabine, are you _sure _she's safe?"

"Of course. She had a hard time yesterday with Adventurer," Sabine consoled, stroking her husband's broad shoulders. "We know how much she cares for Luka. It must have been torturous for her to see him akumatized, and then to have to go after him herself—she deserves a little bit of time to think through things—"

"That's my fear," Tom said, pacing again, "She's now shown us she'll fly straight into danger without even thinking…"

Sabine laughed a little. "If you're so worried, why don't you call her and find out where she is. She has her phone on her, you know."

"No, no," Tom said brusquely, accelerating his pacing, "I don't want to invade her privacy."

Sabine laughed harder this time. "Whatever you say, dear. I'll be in the office, preparing orders for next week."

* * *

"Adrien!" He looked up at the sound of his name, but inwardly groaned when he saw the smiling face that had called it. "Look! Our photos were highlighted in _Paris Teen Weekly_!" Lila stuffed a copy of the magazine in his face. "How should we celebrate? How about dinner tonight? I know this adorable little bistro and ever since I saved his vanilla bean farm from being sold to hippopotamus hunters, the chef and I have been _very _close."

"Uh—" Adrien could barely breathe, she was so close.

"Excellent!" she squealed, squeezing his arm. "Give me your phone so I can—I mean _you _can make the reservation. I don't like to take advantage of our friendship." She talked so fast that he couldn't quite make sense of what she had said. All he knew is that she was digging her hands into his pockets looking for his phone, and he felt horribly uncomfortable.

"Hey Adrien," a gentle voice said from behind, that brought both him and Lila up short. Lila's hands flew back to herself, and Adrien released a gasp of relief.

"Marinette!" He said, prying away from Lila's clutching fingers. "Did you have a good weekend?"

She gave a little half smile and said, "Just fine, thanks." Adrien didn't know why, but he wasn't sure he believed her. They started walking lazily toward the classroom. "I have something for you," she said. She opened her backpack and pulled out three pink and white boxes of passionfruit macarons. "I'm afraid they're a day old. Chat Noir and I made these for you on Saturday afternoon, but when Adventurer got akumatized, he forgot them."

Adrien feigned surprise. "Chat Noir made those? With you?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, he said he was having a rough day, so he spent a few hours in the bakery and my dad taught him how to make macarons. He said he wanted to try passionfruit because you had recommended it once."

"Uh, yeah, I guess I did do that, huh? Well, thanks! What's Chat Noir like anyway? Super cool?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "I thought you two were friends."

"Oh, oh yeah, of c-course we are. He's a nice guy. I was just wondering what you thought."

"It was fun," Marinette responded with a much more convincing smile. "Usually he's pretty self-absorbed, but Saturday, he was…"

"Was what?"

But whatever Chat Noir was, Adrien didn't find out, as the bell rang and Marinette's eyebrows few to her hairline. "Oh no! And I was actually on time today!" She pressed the boxes of macarons into Adrien's hands and bolted for her seat. He chuckled to himself. He couldn't place his finger on it, but she was different today.

* * *

"GIRL!" Alya hissed seconds after class dismissed for lunch. "You talked to Adrien! Without tripping over yourself!"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't… I just brought cookies to a friend."

"Wait, don't you like him anymore?" Marinette stole a quick glance at the blonde still packing his things up at his desk. He was talking to Nino. Just then, he looked up and their eyes met. One corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes softened. Her stomach flipped and her pulse quickened.

"Oh Alya, I don't know-" Alya laughed at the exchange, but Marinette held up a hand to her, "—but he's in love with Kagami. Kagami's so cool, I just don't compare."

Alya shook her head. "You're unbelievable. I mean, you're… you know… and you still think you don't compare."

Marinette grabbed Alya's wrist, "Shh!"

Alya just laughed lightly. "I know, I know. We talked about it. I promise I'll be good." But Marinette's eyes still dropped and her shoulders sagged. "Are you ok?" Alya pressed.

"Oh, I'm fine," Marinette said vaguely as the two walked out the door toward the locker room.

"Do you want to get lunch with me?"

"Nah, I'm not super hungry, I think I'll just go for a walk. Get some quiet time, you know?"

"Well, at least make sure you eat something."

"Yeah," Marinette said with a little shrug. "Maybe I'll do that." As Marinette strolled away, Alya's eyebrows knit in concern. Now the text she had received from Marinette's mom on Sunday afternoon made more sense. Alya pulled out her phone to re-read:

**Sabine Cheng: Would you keep an eye on Marinette for me? I don't know what, but I think something's up.**

**Alya: sure thing, Ms C. **

Now Alya added to the conversation:

**Alya: I see what you mean, Ms C. do u think this is about adventurer?**

It took a few minutes to get a response, so Alya got some food at the cafeteria and sat at the table where Nino and Adrien were still talking. She tuned them out.

**Sabine Cheng: I don't know. Come to think of it, it started a few weeks ago. **

Alya wracked her brain. A few weeks ago was that awful fight with Miracle Queen and Hawkmoth. A few weeks ago was when Master Fu had left and Ladybug had been named the next guardian. Alya tapped her fingernail on her teeth as she put it together. Poor Marinette had been dealing with the weight of Paris on her shoulders.

**Alya: I think I know what it is. Marinette has a lot of responsibility here at school. She's stressed.**

**Sabine Cheng: hm. You are probably right. Any ideas of how to help?**

**Alya: lemme think. I'll get back to u**

**Sabine Cheng: Thanks dear**

Adrien's voice pulled her from her phone, "Alya, have you noticed anything strange about Marinette recently?"

* * *

"Dude, are you going to share those macarons, or do I have to steal one from you?" Nino asked as soon as the bell for lunch rang. The room buzzed with the noise of scraping chairs and a dozen conversations breaking out. He and Adrien stood and started packing up their things. "They've been taunting me all morning!"

"Oh, sure, of course!" Adrien held out one of the boxes to Nino who took four greedily and stuffed one, whole, in his mouth. "Oh man, these are the best. Marinette sure can bake!"

Adrien carefully stowed the box back in his bag, then looked at Marinette. She was talking to a very animated Alya. Just then she turned her head and looked back at him. They made eye contact and Adrien couldn't hold back his smile. The thought crossed his mind again that she looked different today, somehow. "Yeah," Adrien said, turning back to Nino and heading for the door. "She sure can bake. Have you noticed anything different about Marinette, though?"

"Marinette? Different?" Nino questioned through a second mouthful of macarons.

"When she brought me the macarons, she seemed different. And Saturday… I mean, last week sometime she just seemed… I can't quite figure it out."

Nino chuckled. "She's not different, she's just dating Luka and so she finally can talk to you without tripping all over herself."

"What?" Adrien scoffed.

"Yeah, she's been hung up on you for so long, dude, that she could never talk to you. But now that she's dating Luka, she's moved on."

"Wait, _what?"_

"Oh come on dude, it's not like it was that big of a secret…" Nino backpedaled.

"Marinette was… hung up on… and no, she's not dating Luka." Adrien's brain was buzzing.

Nino's hands flapped with the realization of his blunder. "I mean, it wasn't like really hung up, it was like, just kind of a thing and she just didn't want to and Alya told me not to say anybody likes anybody and… Hang on. She's _not _dating Luka? Says who?"

"Says her," Adrien replied simply.

"When did she tell you she wasn't dating Luka?"

A year of covering Chat Noir's tail came in handy sometimes. "I got sucked up in one of those carts on Saturday with Adventurer. I heard her tell him that she just wanted to be friends."

Nino raised an eyebrow. The boys finished collecting their lunches and sat down. Alya was texting someone and sat with them. Adrien was still processing what Nino had said. He was reminded of something Marinette had confessed to him—or rather, to Chat Noir—on Saturday. Someone she had hoped would be _someone_. Hung up on him. Was Marinette…

"Dude, don't read into things," Nino said, as if he could see the wheels turning in Adrien's brain. "Marinette is the same old Marinette we've always known and loved."

"Yeah," Adrien said and took a slow bite. "Still, Alya, have you noticed anything strange about Marinette recently?"

Alya's head snapped up from her phone. "Ma-Marinette? Strange? Uh, uh… why would you think there was anything strange about Marinette?"

Nino and Adrien both noticed the over-the-top response. Adrien smirked, "So, you _have_ noticed something's up."

But Alya had been steeling herself for this moment all weekend, ever since Marinette had brought her the fox miraculous and placed all Ladybug's cards in her shaky hands. Alya knew then that her friendship with Marinette had changed into a fully-fledged partnership, and now it had to include protecting this crucial secret at all costs. "Ok, you're right," she responded smoothly. "Marinette's super busy and I think she's feeling the stress of it all. I mean, between being class representative, designing yet another album cover for Jagged Stone, upcoming finals, and submitting dress designs to two major fashion houses around Paris, I think she could just use some cheering up. Or helping hands." The two boys just sat and gawked.  
"She's really got all that going on?" Adrien whispered, aghast.

Alya just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh you two, she's _always _had that much going on. Sometimes more."

"But surely she'd just say no if it got to be too much," Nino countered.

Alya laughed harder still. "Marinette? Say no? Don't you know her at all?"

The three of them laughed again, but again the wheels whirred in Adrien's head. Alya was right—Marinette never said no. Marinette never turned anyone away, or asked for help, or thought about herself. It was just so second nature for her; he'd never thought it might be burdensome. But wasn't he one of the masses placing their emotional burdens on her petit shoulders? Wasn't she the one he'd instinctively gone to after that horrific half-hour in the archery range? "So, Alya, do you have a plan?"

* * *

Marinette's feet thumped soundlessly along the familiar pavement, taking her home. Her bones ached—a deep, permanent, throbbing reminder that everything was on her shoulders now. There was no one she could talk to, no one to share the load with. She missed Master Fu; she missed racing to his home to ask for help; she missed knowing that there was backup in case she failed, that there was someone out there who always knew what to do. Her fingers instinctively lifted to her earlobe and felt the tiny black earrings there. They felt heavier than ever. She breathed in deeply and kept walking. She had briefly felt comfort in Luka's calm, listening ear. But now that escape was lost to her forever. She remembered the comfort of the underwater hug with Chat Noir and then again two days ago, without her mask, moments before Adventurer got akumatized. She was grateful she'd told Alya her identity and had someone to talk to about things now, but she knew that she'd have to be incredibly careful—Hawkmoth knew Alya was a miraculous holder, and would undoubtedly be watching her every move, just as he had Chloe's.

Oh, Chloe. She'd only come to school a handful of times in the last few weeks, and even then, she'd been totally aloof. And then there was Lila, who was just the opposite—way too close, way too loud, and way too devious. But Marinette was having a hard time feeling the drive to help them, as she knew she should. She was having a hard time feeling much of anything besides overwhelmed.

Her hand pushed the bakery door open with a tinkle and she slumped in, letting her backpack slide from her shoulders.

"Surprise!" a chorus yelled, making her jump, shriek, and throw her books everywhere. Her parents were flanked by Nino, Alya, Kagami, Rose, Juleka, Mylene, Ivan, Alix, Max, Kim, and Adrien. She smiled at all of them, taking an extra second to gaze into those vivid green eyes.

"What are you all doing here?" she gasped.

"We came to help you out," Adrien responded for the group.

"Yeah," Rose piped, "You are always helping us out, and your mom said you've been super busy, so here we are, ready to work!"

"You are all so sweet, but I really don't have that much work to do—"

"Nice try," Alix teased. "I'll bet you my skates that there's eight unfinished dresses upstairs on your sewing machine."

"I'll take that bet—I say nine," Kim boomed, "and I'll throw in my favorite pair of swim trunks that there's forty dozen macarons she's making for charity."

Marinette smiled as her friends thumped upstairs to her bedroom, but she hung back a bit. Her mother slipped an arm around her waist. "Sweetheart, they really do care about you. They wanted to help. Put them to work?"

"Mom, I really don't have that much going on right now, I swear," Marinette promised. _At least nothing anyone can help with, _she thought.

"Well, then at least take some treats upstairs and have a game night or something," Sabine insisted, pressing a tray of quiches into Marinette's grasping hands. She sighed and followed her friends to the back of the bakery and up the stairs.

But after the first flight, she heard two familiar voices talking in hushed tones. "I fail to see how me being here helps anything," Kagami was hissing. "She clearly doesn't need me here, and it's hardly a productive way to spend an evening."

"She's a friend, and friends do nice things for each other," Adrien responded. Marinette slowed her pace so she would stay just behind the wall where they couldn't see her.

"You said you wanted me to come so we could hang out. You just wanted me to come to be a workhorse for some other girl," Kagami retorted with an edge of frustration in her voice.

"No, no, that's not it at all. I wanted to see you because… well, I just wanted—"

"You know, Adrien, for being the one who keeps asking me out, you sure don't seem to know what you want at all. I've made it perfectly clear what I want. Do you want to be with me or not?"

"Kagami, of course I want to—" Adrien started, and then he was silent. Marinette couldn't help herself. She took a step forward, rounded the corner…

And wished she hadn't. Adrien stood one step lower than Kagami. Her hand was wrapped around the back of his head, her lips pressed against his. A girl was kissing Adrien, here in her house, and it wasn't Marinette. Even though she had practiced through tears and fought the raging beast inside her heart for weeks and reminded herself over and over again that Adrien loved Kagami, watching them kiss was torture. Her knees wobbled, her stomach sunk, and her heart leaped from her chest. She silently retreated around the corner, taking deep breaths and forcing the tears to stay put in her eyes. After a second, she steeled herself against the pain, plastered a smile to her face, and rounded the corner again, much louder this time. Adrien and Kagami separated with a little sucking noise. Marinette ignored them and marched straight upstairs with her tray of quiches.

She paused outside the trap door to her bedroom for several minutes, trying to lower her heartbeat. Finally, when she felt like she could adequately feign a cheerful mood, she pushed the trap door open and climbed into the crowded bedroom.

"Hey, guys, my mom sent up these quiches, but I'm afraid tonight's not a good one for hanging out," she said in a much-too-high voice. "It's probably best that you all… head…" Her friends all stood there, with sad little furrows in their eyebrows, looking at her. Her bones ached again. "Out to the movies!" she finished with a generic thumbs-up. There was a shuffle and startup of several conversations at once. But just then, the dreaded buzz of the news alert on her phone pulled her to reality. Alya and Max also pulled out their phones—they'd set up the AkumaAlert app as well, it seemed.

"Oh no," Rose gasped, looking over Alya's shoulder. "Looks like some kind of foodie gone bad. Oh my, he just turned that kid into a bowl of salad!"

Marinette scanned around her room at the faces all checking their phones for updates. She was just starting to panic on how she would get out of this one with all her friends right there, when she locked eyes with Alya. "Oh, Marinette, your parents said that they needed you to watch the store front for a few minutes while they put together the rest of the food. We'll figure out a movie and head when you get back, okay?"

Marinette thanked Alya with her eyes and ran downstairs and out the door to the alleyway. She didn't even notice that Kagami was a block away by now, with her head sagging.

* * *

"I'll take that bet—I say nine," Kim boomed, "and I'll throw in my favorite pair of swim trunks that there's forty dozen macarons she's making for charity."

Adrien laughed and sighed in relief as he saw the smile wash over Marinette's face. He turned and followed the rest of his friends upstairs. "This was a great idea," he whispered to Alya.

She shook her head with a little smirk, "Yeah, it was, _Adrien. _ Don't try to give me any credit. You're the one who said we should stage an intervention."

He shrugged. At the landing for the next flight of stairs, he felt a hand on his wrist and stopped. Kagami's head was low, her hair covering her eyes. "Adrien, we need to talk," she said heavily.

_Oh great. NOW she wants to talk. _ She hadn't answered his calls for days, and he'd been hesitant to invite her to this intervention tonight, before remembering that she and Marinette were friends—and tonight was about Marinette, not about his comfort level. "Look, Kagami, I think you're a really amazing girl…" Adrien stammered.

"Do you have feelings for Marinette?"

"Wh-What?"

"Do you have _feelings _for _Marinette?_"

"C'mon," he scoffed, shaking his head a bit. "She's struggling right now."  
"Why did you ask me to come tonight? You know how my mother feels about these kinds of things."

"I knew you were friends, and I thought you could help her."

"I fail to see how me being here helps anything," Kagami hissed, taking a step up so she was a head taller than him. It felt uncomfortably familiar, like when his father sneered at him down his nose. "She clearly doesn't need me here, and it's hardly a productive way to spend an evening."

"She's a friend, and friends do nice things for each other," Adrien responded, raising his voice slightly.

"You said you wanted me to come so we could hang out. You just wanted me to come to be a workhorse for some other girl." Kagami's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"No, no, that's not it at all. I wanted to see you because… well, I just wanted—" he wasn't sure where he was going with this. All he knew was that he wanted out, away from this conversation.

"You know, Adrien, for being the one who keeps asking me out, you sure don't seem to know what you want at all. I've made it perfectly clear what I want. Do you want to be with me or not?"

"Kagami, of course I want to—" Several things happened in rapid succession. First, his phone buzzed, and Plagg tugged on the inside of his shirt—his sign that he really needed to take this call. As he reached for his phone in his pocket, though, Kagami grabbed the back of his head and leaned in. He was so surprised by the sudden motion that his brain stopped working. She pressed her lips to his. He noticed what her eyelashes looked like, what the color of her forehead was up close, even the scent of her hair. The only thing he didn't register was what it felt like to kiss her. A small but persistent noise behind them startled him and he pulled back. He turned just in time to see a tense-shouldered Marinette push past the two of them on the stairs with a fake, saccharine smile pasted to her face. So, she'd seen that, had she? His heart plummeted and he felt nauseous. That was not how he planned on tonight going. "Marinette!" He called softly, gently moving Kagami aside to follow the bouncing pigtails upstairs, but Kagami pressed a hand into his chest and glared.

"No, no you don't, Adrien." Plagg tugged at the inside of his shirt more fervently now, and Adrien instinctively pulled out his phone.

Lila had posted a picture of a romantic table for two on the front steps of a restaurant he didn't recognize with the caption: **Waiting for my bf— ParisTeenWeekly superstar. #LuckiestGirlEver **The post had already gone viral, and by the looks of it, had drummed up quite the media presence.

"Lila…" he murmured under his breath.

"_Lila? _First Marinette, now _Lila? _How many girls are you stringing along, Adrien?" Kagami snapped.

"What? No, Kagami! You've got it all wrong! Lila asked me to dinner tonight—"

"A dinner with her, a date with me, an intervention here… you do know this is cruel, don't you? I told you to pick a target. Maybe I wasn't clear. Pick a target and then _don't switch." _And in a move that was becoming increasingly familiar, she pushed past him, dropped her shoulders and head, and marched away.

"Kagami," he called, chasing after her. "Please don't do this again. I don't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt a friend."

She wheeled around on him. "A friend? I kiss you and you call me a friend?"

"Isn't that what a good relationship should be based on? Friendship?"

She glared. "We have so much—no, _everything _in common. We are perfect for each other. You will never find someone more compatible with you than me."

So there it was. Yet another girl who felt entitled to him, like he was some kind of prize. "Kagami, I'm a heck of a lot more than just trophies and report cards," he growled.

She breathed deeply, clearly at a loss for words. Her mouth moved up and down a bit before she spun on her heel and marched off again. He didn't follow her this time, but stood there in the doorway of the Dupain Bakery and watched as she shrunk into the distance.

His phone buzzed again. AkumaAlert, at the same little bistro Lila had posted about online. _Oh goodie, _he groaned to himself. Still, he looked forward to punching something. "Plagg, Claws Out!"

* * *

Ladybug was nowhere to be found when he arrived on the scene. "Adrien Agreste, I am Fooderator! I'll teach you to miss your dinner reservations!" the akuma was yelling. He was shooting lasers out of his hands, which turned panicked Parisians into various bits of food.

"Hey Fooderator," Chat Noir called, "hungry for this?" He extended his baton and spun it in a flash of metal, dissipating several blasts. He used his baton as a shield while he scanned the area. It was worse than he feared from Lila's post; it looked like half the paparazzi in Paris had come to glimpse Adrien Agreste with a _girlfriend. _It made his blood boil. He charged Fooderator, landing several punches and a round-house kick. Fooderator responded with a punch to his stomach and two more blows aimed for Chat Noir's head, which he dodged easily.

Just then the familiar _zip_ of a yo-yo string made them both look up. Chat Noir's heart leapt to his throat. She did a graceful backflip over his head, tucked into a swan dive, caught by her string at the last second, and dropped in a three-point landing. "So, Chat Noir, what's eating this guy?" she said, straightening up and walking toward him.

He grinned. How he loved it when she made puns with him. They took a few steps back and yo-yo and baton alike whizzed as shields while they shared knowledge. "I think he was looking forward to some major publicity. Apparently some girl promised him that Adrien Agreste would come tonight—as her boyfriend."

Ladybug's eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth. "Adrien Agreste was bringing his girlfriend here?"

"No," Chat Noir laughed, "the girl just made it out to look like that." Chat was surprised at the way Ladybug's face lit up when he said the word 'no.'

"Good," she said, a smile teasing her lips. "Though poor Fooderator; that would have been the moment of a lifetime, to have Adrien come to your restaurant." Oh man, Chat's heart couldn't stop leaping. She was cracking jokes _and _saying his name, in one night. "Any idea where the akuma might be?"

"Maybe his chef hat?" Chat Noir responded, noticing the tall black hat on Fooderator's head. They nodded once at each other, and then launched their attack. Chat Noir raced to Fooderator head-on and Ladybug swung up and over his head before attacking from the rear. They landed blow after blow. They were making serious headway, and Chat started to think they might be able to get this one without needing their powers, when a bunch of flashes startled him from behind.

"Chat Noir!" a sickly sweet voice called to him, "Smile for the camera!"

"Lila!" Ladybug hissed, "This is _not _the right time!" But the momentary distraction was enough for Fooderator to get the upper hand on Ladybug and fired a laser right at her.

"No!" Chat yelled and threw himself in front of Ladybug. The laser caught him in the stomach and he felt the energy drain from him. Ladybug watched in horror as her dear partner transformed into a bowl of mussels, his baton still spinning in the air and transforming into a loaf of crusty bread, then falling with a little splash into the broth.

"You'll pay for this," Ladybug growled—not at Fooderator, but at Lila. "Lucky Charm." It wasn't a happy spin of her yo-yo; it was a warcry. A pellet gun dropped in her hands, and with eyes still locked on Lila, she shot a round over her shoulder. It caught the chef hat on Fooderator's head and ripped it down the center. The tiny akuma wriggled out. Ladybug didn't say a word, she just threw her yo-yo at it and released the white butterfly while marching straight at Lila, who was looking downright petrified. Ladybug growled "Miraculous Ladybug" and threw the pellet gun over her shoulder, not even caring to see the completion of the battle. She thrust a finger in Lila's face. "How _dare_ you distract my partner or me while we're battling an akuma. How _dare _you put all of Paris at greater risk." If Ladybug was aware of the hundreds of cameras snapping pictures of this moment, she didn't show it. "We're trying to protect millions of people, and you have the gall to take advantage of the moment for a selfie with Chat Noir? Don't you know how important he is to Paris? Without him, none of us would be here. Don't you know how important he is to _me?_"

Lila stammered, "I… I… just wanted to…"

"Just don't, ok Lila?"

A sick smile stole over her face. "I'm sorry, Ladybug, it's just that I was so excited to see you both in action, I couldn't help it. You're the best _ever," _she sneered.

"Just think about it more carefully next time, alright?" Ladybug warned, trying to soften her face and hide the loathing. Lila nodded and skipped off, giving the paparazzi a wink as she left.

Ladybug turned around to see Chat Noir and the dazed chef staring at her with slack jaws. She tried to smile at them.

"Whoa…" Chat sighed. "That was… that was…"

"Chef!" she said to the poor akuma victim. Her earrings beeped. "I'm sorry you didn't get your big moment in the spotlight. I think the girl who said she was Adrien's girlfriend was a bit confused." Her earrings beeped again. "Chat, can you help him out tonight?" Chat Noir nodded and they pounded fists. "Bug out!" she cried before soaring off into the night.

The chef looked confused, but happy. Chat Noir thought his heart might leap right out of his suit. _How important he is to me… _And he fell again. He couldn't help it. No matter how hard he tried to move past it, one small sentence, one small look, one tiny touch from her and he was right back to where he was the moment he met her. But it felt better this time—more like a partnership, more like a friend, more two-sided.

"It's too bad she couldn't stay for dinner," the chef murmured. "I've got such a lovely meal prepared, since I was planning on feeding Adrien Agreste tonight."

A sudden idea popped into Chat Noir's head. "Would you be willing to take in a stray cat instead?"

The chef's face broke into a huge grin. "Chat Noir? Eating at _my _restaurant? That's even better than Adrien Agreste!"

"Great. I've got something I need to do first, though, but I promise I'll be right back, ok?"

The chef nodded, then raced back to his kitchen to make a few final arrangements.

* * *

Marinette made a show of stumping upstairs to her friends. They were huddled around her room, eyes glued to their phones. "Marinette!" Alya cried as she entered. Everyone looked up. "Did you see that akuma attack?"

"Yeah, crazy!" she responded.

"I can't believe Lila would distract Ladybug and Chat Noir like that," Max said, with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, really not cool," Ivan agreed.

Marinette's heart swelled to hear her friends recognize Lila's manipulative and dangerous behavior. Nino continued, "Yeah, good thing Ladybug was still able to capture the akuma. She really is the greatest protector of all time."

The achy bones returned full force.

"Hey guys, if we want to make the evening show, we'd better go now," Juleka said quietly. Everyone looked up expectantly at Marinette, who sat gingerly on her bed. How she hated always having to make the decisions.

"I'm kind of tired, and you guys can go without me," she started. Alya gave an I-told-you-so look to everyone in the room.  
"Come on, Marinette," Mylene crooned, "let's go have some fun."

But Marinette still couldn't shake the feeling of weight on her shoulders. She looked in the faces of her friends—grateful for each of them, but envious of their innocence. None of them would truly understand, or could ever understand. There was only one person in all of Paris who knew just how heavy this life was, and he was nowhere to be—

There was a knock on the balcony skylight. It made Rose squeak with surprise. Everyone looked up at the ceiling. Ivan was closest—he opened the latch and a pair of smiling green eyes, shrouded in a black mask, descended into the room, upside down. "Hey guys, how's it hanging?"

"Ch…ch… CHAT NOIR?" Kim stammered. "What are you doing here?"

He lowered himself into the room with one arm and landed softly on all fours. He smiled around at the gawking faces. "I got reservations at an amazing little bistro, and was wondering if I might steal my Purrincess away for an evening," he said, strutting toward Marinette. "If you'd like, of course."

She blushed as he took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Oh you silly cat," she said. A brilliant peal of laughter escaped from her throat—something only he could elicit.

Alya gave her a little shove. "Go, Marinette, you deserve it."

Marinette didn't resist. She gave Chat Noir her hand, but he took her waist. Her friends watched in shock as Chat Noir walked to the skylight, lifted Marinette off her feet in a bridal-style carry, extended his baton, and launched the two of them into the fading evening sky.

* * *

_Author Note: In case the name "Mommadon" didn't clue you in, I've got four gorgeous children to my name who are the perfect age for Miraculous. These musings are based on what they think season 4 may hold. My 6 year old named "Fooderator." Just thought you all needed to know that. More chapters will definitely be following!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Oh gracious," Marinette sighed with her eyes closed, "this is delicious." She took another small bite of the delicate, buttery fish. It melted on her tongue. Chat Noir smirked at her reaction.

"It's like you've never had sole meuniere before," he quipped, taking a bite himself.

"Oh, I have. I mean, you know my parents. But this is just so… good…" and she took another bite. Adrien knew she'd been absent at lunch time that day. He doubted she'd eaten since breakfast. It felt good to watch her indulge for just a moment. She caught him staring at her and blushed. "Don't you think it's… good?"

"Of course. Um, fish. Cat." He swept a hand from his chin to his waist in a grandiose gesture.

She laughed. "Ah yes, I should have known. What else do you like to eat?"

"Passionfruit macarons."

More blushing. More laughing. "You silly thing, _what else?_ Really?"

"Why so interested?"

"Because I like knowing things about my friends," she shrugged, taking another bite of the amazing meal.

Chat swallowed and thought for a second. "Hm, I like… fruit."

Her eyebrows arched. "Fruit?" Now he blushed, but nodded.

"Yeah, and croissants. And quiche. Oh, and fresh bread…" he said as he closed his eyes in bliss.

She laughed lightly. He really loved listening to her laugh. "You're not all that picky, are you?"

His eyes popped open. "Picky? Me? Nope. Never met something I didn't love. To be honest," he said, taking a bit of vegetables and chewing thoughtfully, "food tastes different when I'm Chat."

"_Really?" _

"Yeah. So, you know these?" he flicked his own black cat ear. "They're not just ornamental. When I'm Chat Noir, all my senses are enhanced. The first time I ever ate food when Chat Noir, it changed my life." Marinette's jaw slacked in wonder. She'd, of course, noticed the heightened senses—the sharper vision and clearer, more intense hearing, and the way she could smell flowers and spices with distinction when she was Ladybug, but never, in a year of swinging from buildings, had she thought to eat something while transformed. There was never time for frivolities. "Not to mention this—" he rubbed his finger over his ring—"uses a lot of extra calories. I can basically eat whatever I want."

She giggled, trying to wipe the gawk off her face. "That sounds like fun. Don't tell my dad that, he'll take it as a personal challenge!" Chat smiled into his plate. "But that makes me wonder," she mused.

"Hm?"

"Do you think Ladybug has the same… what did you call it, _enhanced senses?_"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know, I've never asked her. My guess is probably yes. I know she doesn't get night vision like I do, but there's been times I swear she heard or saw something I did, which would be impossible without the mask."

"I wonder if she's ever eaten while transformed," Marinette continued.

Now Chat raised an eyebrow at her, "why so curious today? That's my department."

Marinette's eyes widened and she looked from side to side for a second, then blinked and smiled, "Like I said, just getting to know my friend."

His face broke into the softest, gentlest smile she'd ever seen. It took her off guard and made her heartbeat go funny. "I like it when you call me your friend, Marinette." His eyes were so tender and yet so strong as they gazed into hers. She couldn't blink or look away. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

It took an interruption from the waiter to end the moment. A fruit and cheese platter was served and the last dregs of sole meuniere were cleared from the table. "Chat! _Fruit!" _

* * *

The paparazzi were satiated when the dinner ended, but Chat Noir wasn't. Being with Marinette was liberating. He'd never had such an open, heartfelt, easy conversation with a girl—or anyone, really-before. "Marinette, would it be ok if I took you home the long way?" he asked shyly.

Her cheeks flushed under that cute smattering of freckles. "I'd… really like that," she admitted. They made a show of thanking the chef for the marvelous meal, posed for some more photos, and then Chat Noir lifted them both to the nearest rooftop before scooping up Marinette and leaping away.

The moment they were alone, he put her down, then walked to the edge of a rooftop and sat with his feet dangling over the side. Marinette seemed hesitant. Chat remembered how clumsy she could be and extended a paw to steady her. She took his hand and sat down. He inched closer so she could lean on him. She took a deep breath and let her feet swing over the edge. When she didn't fall, she sighed, but her shoulders remained tense.

"Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"Is everything alright?"

Silence. At last she inhaled slowly and shook her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

More silence. Another long, slow, breath, and a tiny nod of her head. He wrapped his arm around her very tight shoulders. She seemed to relax slightly. "Sometimes I feel like I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders," she said quietly. "Like everyone is counting on me for everything. It makes my bones ache. What if I let them all down?"

She reminded him of Ladybug, in that moment. He was never quite sure what to say when Ladybug was vulnerable with him, and he wasn't quite sure what to say now, either. He gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Marinette, you are just about the most caring person I've ever met. But Ladybug told me something the other day that really struck me—you can't be two people. You can't split yourself up and try to be everything for everyone. Also, and this is from me, not my partner—it's alright to say no sometimes."

Marinette gave an incredulous little snort. "Say 'no'? Don't you know me at all?"

"I do know you," Chat said quietly, which made Marinette's heart leap.

"You… Do?"

"Wait," he retreated a little frantically, "Not like, _know _know, but enough to know that you do so much for everyone everyday. You don't have to run yourself ragged. You _can_ ask for help."

She pondered that for a few moments. "What if it's not something I can ask for help with? What if I'm meant to face it alone?"

"I don't believe that's true," he said, pulling her even closer. She felt his warmth and smelled his scent—a glorious combination of musk and leather, with a hint of peppermint. "I don't believe any of us are supposed to go it alone. Like Ladybug and me—we're a team. We didn't get our miraculouses alone; we were meant to protect Paris together. You've got amazing friends that want to help you. I know because I saw them all in your room tonight. Trust them."

She stared blankly at the night sky. Very slowly, she placed an arm around Chat's back, and then the other across his chest. She squeezed him and let her head rest on his shoulder. "Thank you, Chat," she whispered into the smooth material of his suit. "That was exactly what I needed to hear."

"Anytime, Mil-Marinette."

* * *

The LadyBlog wasn't the only media splashed with "How important he is to me" the next morning—but it was the only one to get it right. Most were fairly innocuous, simply showing the pictures of Ladybug glaring down Lila (with a warning not to distract the heroes during a battle), pounding fists with Chat Noir after, or highlighting the restaurant with Chat and Marinette. However, the more sinister reports claimed Chat Noir had taken Marinette on a romantic date mere moments after Ladybug had expressed her undying love for him. However, the past year had cemented the LadyBlog as Ladybug's official news outlet, and Alya could honestly reveal that she had been with her best friend Marinette when Chat Noir had come to collect her for an entirely platonic evening out. Tom Dupain was quoted that Chat was a close friend of the family.

It still didn't make a lot of difference. When Marinette arrived at school the next day, she was greeted with wide eyes and a barrage of questions.  
"Are you dating Chat Noir?"

"What's he like in person?"

"Is Ladybug jealous of you?"  
"Can I have Ladybug now that Chat's officially relinquished her?" (that's the only one she answered with a withering glare.)

She was so crowded by questioning students that she couldn't make it up the stairs to her classroom. "Hey!" she yelled, stamping her foot, "Lay off it, alright? Chat Noir and I are friends. He wanted to help that poor chef that had just been akumatized. So he and I ate dinner together. As friends. JUST friends!"

"Besides—" said a voice that made Marinette blush furiously (had he heard that just now?), "everyone knows that Chat Noir only has eyes for Ladybug." Adrien pushed the crowd back and stood next to Marinette. "So just go on to class, there's nothing to see here," he admonished. Slowly, everyone skulked off. "Ugh. I hate it when fans go crazy like that."

Marinette didn't speak. She just flexed her jaw a bit and stared at him. She'd been so confident around him the last few weeks that to see her clam up again made his heart sink. He hadn't forgotten Nino's words—_hung up on him—_and was about to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder when he remembered the last time he had seen her as Adrien… on the stairs… in her house… with Kagami… Oh. No.

"So uh, Marinette, I'm really sorry about last night. I knew you and Kagami were friends, so I asked her to come with me to help you out, but things kind of got out of hand…"

Marinette's eyebrows creased a little bit and she blinked a few times. "It's ok, Adrien, you're allowed to kiss your girlfriend."

"My… girlfriend?"

"Did you two have a nice evening together?" She continued, making her way to the classroom now. "I didn't see you after the akuma attack. I hope you didn't get caught up in all that."

"N-no," he stuttered as alarms blared through his head GIRLFRIEND-GIRLFRIEND-GIRLFRIEND.

"Oh good," she responded. "I'm glad. Did Kagami take it ok? I mean, all the mix up with Lila and the restaurant and everything? I mean, if Lila had posted that she was dating _my _boyfriend, I think I would have totally lost it." _Shut up, Marinette, _her brain was hissing, but her heart kept up the word vomit. Adrien's face was blank and his eyes were vacant. "But then again, Kagami's always been cooler than me, so what do I know?"

Adrien's mouth had stopped working. Marinette was a little worried she might have broken him. "Uh, Adrien? You ok?" Still nothing. She touched his arm lightly. "C'mon, let's get to class," she said. He walked silently to his seat and landed in it with a little thud.

_That was weird. _She settled in and looked at the clock. For once, she was in her seat before the bell!

Except that's the moment the ground rumbled and the AkumaAlert app buzzed. She checked her phone quickly, along with the majority of the class. It was close—_very close._ "Everyone get down!" Marinette instinctively yelled, and just in time. The few students who were in the room dove under their desks just as something destroyed a part of the wall, sending debris crashing through the classroom. There was no time to even make an excuse—she just bolted for the door, held up only for a fraction of a second as she waited for Adrien to escape first, and beelined to her favorite bathroom stall.

* * *

"What _is _that thing?" Chat Noir asked Ladybug when she landed on the school rooftop next to him. Her eyes swept over the street below. It was the oddest thing either of them had seen—and that was seriously saying something.

It was… tall. Rough—no, fuzzy around the edges. Inhuman, with long swinging tentacle-like protrusions emerging from the top. It was like a statue yanked from the sculptor's hands before completion. But it was still dangerous as it thumped around, knocking things over and throwing things at the school and neighboring buildings. "I don't think it's an akuma. Maybe a…"

"Sentimonster," Chat nodded. "But it's different."

"Yeah," Ladybug nodded. "C'mon, let's see what this thing's all about." They engaged the sentimonster. A couple zips of the yo-yo and swings of the baton were informative: the yo-yo would snare a tentacle, but not for long. With a static _voip_ sound, the tentacle would blink out of existence, and then back in. Chat noticed the same thing—sometimes he would connect with a tentacle, but other times not. It reminded him a bit of Troublemaker, where it was blinking in an out of existence, but there was no rhyme or reason to the disappearances. Ladybug watched as one of the tentacles reached for a car and passed through it twice before being able to make connection and topple it.

"I don't think it's able to control the blipping," Ladybug shouted over the din of the battle.

"We're going to have to find whoever's controlling it to stop it."

Ladybug took a step back and called, "Lucky Charm!"

Chat laughed hard when a hefty wind-up toy cat landed in Ladybug's arms. It even had a little bell under its chin. "Yes!" he guffawed and punched the air. "Cats rule, creepy-weird-sentimonsters drool!" She couldn't help but laugh as well. She looked around to get a clue as how to use her lucky charm. A souvenir vendor cart was parked a way down the sidewalk. Behind it, an alley way where she could make out the shadow of a hunched figure. Still unsure of how this would work out, but confident in her instincts, Ladybug wound up the cat and let it go.

It spun in crazy loops and rammed into the souvenir vendor. Stacks of newspapers and magazines went flying in a constellation of photos of Ladybug with her finger in Lila's face. Hats, shirts, toys, and pens scattered across the pavement. At the explosion of stuff, the shadowy figure leapt in fright and came running towards them.

"Chat Noir!" that familiar, sickly-sweet voice called. _Not again!_ "Please, I know where the amok is! You have to save me!" Lila was turned toward Chat Noir with outstretched arms.

"No, Lila," he yelled at her, "You're not going to put Paris in harm's way again!"

Just then, a feminine figure emerged from the alleyway behind the school. "Mayura!" Ladybug hissed, but then, "no… wait, what?" Ladybug and Chat Noir's eyes narrowed on the form. It looked a lot like Mayura, but very strange. The dress and hat looked similar but were burgundy and cream colored rather than blue and purple. The hat was lower and covered both eyes instead of one, with a black veil material. Her skin was peachy white, not blue. Most unusual of all, she had no feather fan. She barreled at Lila, who made eye contact with this strange-Mayura and screamed.

"Chat Noir," Lila begged with real yearning in her voice, "please believe me. The amok is in that toy." She pointed out a tiny wind-up mouse that was zipping around the pavement in circles. "Please help me!" Chat's eyes narrowed as he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. Maybe she was being honest, for once. The strange-Mayura slammed a fist into Lila's stomach to silence her and dragged her back into the shadows of the alleyway she had emerged from. Ladybug's cry for help pulled Chat Noir back to the battle at hand. He tracked the hyperactive wind-up mouse, cried "Cataclysm!" and did a mid-air summersault to land on the mouse. It disintegrated at his touch and a tiny purple feather floated way. Ladybug cleaned up while Chat Noir bolted silently to the alleyway.

The voices were hushed, so he only made out a few snippets: "I just panicked, ok?" That was definitely Lila's sobs that drowned out anything else. "Please don't take it!" A few more sobs and a low, growling voice he couldn't make out. "Th-Thank you, Mayura." Lila sounded completely dejected. Muffled voices, and then the clamber of hands on walls and Chat Noir looked up to see strange-Mayura run to the edge of the roof and disappear from sight. Chat made his way into the alley, but Lila was already gone.

"Ladybug," he called to her, sprinting to her side. "We need to talk." She nodded knowingly. "But we can't right now," he added, holding up his flashing ring. "Friday? Sunset? Our roof?"

"I'll be there," she promised.

* * *

"Tikki, spots on," Marinette murmured. It was still about an hour before sunset, but she was too keyed up to wait any longer. It was an unusual sensation—planning to be Ladybug. School had ended for summer break that day, so she had no homework. She'd arranged a sleepover at Alya's to ward off any other plans. Yet again, she was so glad she'd divulged her secret to Alya, who was beginning to act like her personal secretary and thought up way better excuses for Marinette than she had all year. Not having to lie to anyone about where she was going tonight was liberating. She'd walked several blocks away from home before transforming, just to make sure any prying eyes didn't see her anywhere near the Dupain Bakery. Tikki had given her a vote of confidence before flying into the earrings.

Ladybug flew from rooftop to rooftop for a few moments, just to release some nervous energy. Eventually she picked her way to the roof where Chat Noir had made her dinner so many months ago. It was a good place to meet—secluded, quiet, and beautiful. Even though she was still plenty early, she was surprised to see him already there, pacing, black tail swishing. His ears perked when he heard the zip of her yo-yo. She swung high in a scissors leap, tucked her arms and knees in, summersaulted twice, extended her legs and twisted in a glorious Yurchenko, and landed lightly. She tossed her hair out of her eyes and smiled at Chat Noir, who gaped at her, completely dumbfounded.

"You're early," she teased.

"Uh… so are you," he replied and rubbed the base of his neck. Was that _flirting_? He'd certainly never seen her let loose like that, not just for fun.

She laughed that beautiful, musical laugh. "I'm sorry. I guess I just like not having an akuma breathing down our necks."

He nodded, "I totally agree."

Chat Noir had set up a small table and a couple of chairs. There was a grey messenger bag on the back of one of the chairs. _How long had he been here?_ She sat down in the bagless chair and smiled again. "Shall we get down to business?"

He shook the daze from his eyes and sat down at the table with her. Almost immediately he bounced back to his feet and started pacing again. "I've been thinking about a lot of things, Milady."

"Me too."

"Yeah? You go first?"

"Tuesday… the Sentimonster."

His eyes widened. "I know, right? That was beyond weird. What do you think happened?"

Ladybug stood up and paced too. "Well, it's hard to know for certain. But I think that was _the _Mayura, in some kind of costume. Not transformed."

Chat Noir nodded rapidly. "I was thinking the same thing. The way she still climbed up the wall and ran over the roof top was… eerie." He shuddered. "Could you hear what Lila said in that alley?"

Ladybug shook her head slightly. "I wasn't as close as you were; I could hear voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying."

"I only caught snippets. Lila was definitely crying, she said she _panicked,_ then she said 'please don't take it,' and finally, 'thank you, Mayura.' I'm certain that Lila knows Mayura and is working with her."

Ladybug stopped and her eyes grew large. "That's…"  
"Horrible," Chat finished for her, "I know."

"That sentimonster was so weird. Remember how detailed and perfect Mayura's sentimonsters have been recently?"

Chat winced. Oh, how he remembered…the soft skin, the fluttering eyes, the terror that she'd been hurt, the way his heart shredded when he realized it was fake… "Yes," he whispered, "I remember. But this one wasn't like that. It was uncontrolled, fuzzy, almost _amateur." _

"I agree. Like whoever made it didn't know what they were doing. And it got out of control, just like when Master Fu accidentally made Feast."

They paced silently as their brains churned information. "If Lila knows Mayura and is working with her," Chat said tentatively, "do you think it was _her_ that made the sentimonster?"

Ladybug took a deep breath, "I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I'm having a hard time envisioning it any other way. She knew exactly where the amok was, she was terrified of that thing, there weren't a lot of people on the street, and she asked Mayura… what was it again?"

"'Please don't take it.' I'll bet my cat bell that she was talking about the peacock miraculous."

Ladybug shivered. "Why wouldn't Mayura just make the sentimonster herself?"

Chat Noir's eyes went pensive again. "Remember after Miracle Queen? She collapsed. Hawkmoth took off with her. She might not have the strength to wield the peacock miraculous any more. Maybe she's trying to teach Lila how to use it."

"If we're right," Ladybug said, halting and looking petrified, "that means that we have Hawkmoth, Mayura, _and _Mayura-wannabe to worry about."

To her surprise, Chat laughed. "_Mayura-wannabe! _I will never not call her that!"

The lightness of his laughter broke the tension. Ladybug laughed as well. She sat down and Chat Noir joined her, staying in his seat this time. "But in all seriousness," she continued, "Hawkmoth appears to be gathering his own little army."

"It certainly appears that way, Milady. Which is why I got you this…" he said, reaching into the grey messenger bag. He pulled out two sleek, top-of-the-line cellphones. He placed one on the table in front of her. Her jaw dropped. "I've taken every security precaution—untraceable numbers, fake names, and I only laundered a _bit _of money."

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Chat. This is…"

"We need to stay in contact. If Hawkmoth is gathering an army, we need to gather ours too." She took the phone gingerly. It was locked.

"Uh, what's the…"

A huge, toothy grin split his face. He slid next to her and reached around her to type "ChatNoirIsHAWT!" as the password. She gave a little gasping laugh through what Chat suddenly noticed were tears. "Oh, Milady," he stammered while sliding back to his seat, "I'm sorry, was this going too far?"

She slowly shook her head and her hand dropped to reveal a small smile. "This is… incredible. But I can't accept it," she said, placing the phone back on the table. "These had to cost… a _lot_. I won't let you put yourself at risk just for me."

He rolled his eyes. "You're going to take the phone and you're going to say 'Thank you, you amazing kitty,' and then you're going to text me cat memes all night."

She smirked. "But seriously… how?"

He flashed a big, supermodel smile and arched an eyebrow, leaned in with his hand under his chin, then whispered huskily, "I've got skills."

Her heart stuttered. He was such a flirt. But two could play this game. She leaned across the tiny table and flicked his bell while lowering her voice, "Thank you, you amazing kitty." His eyes bolted wide open and flew to the back of his chair, lost his balance, and toppled to the rooftop below. She threw her head back in laughter.

When he had slunk to his chair with just a bit less ego and her giggles had subsided, she reached out and took his clawed hand gently. "Thank you, Chat Noir. It's been really hard on me since Master Fu left. I haven't felt like I could possibly fill his shoes. I've been so afraid I'm going to let all of Paris down. But you have helped me realize that I'm not alone—I have the best partner in the world. Thank you for everything."

He blushed and stammered. "You're welcome." He forgot what hands do. He stared at his own awkward appendages and her dainty gloved fingers resting over his and he had no clue how to move or think or breathe. Eventually, she gave his fingers a tiny squeeze and let go. His brain started working again slowly.

"I have one other surprise," he said, clearing his throat.

"I'm not sure if I can handle another one!"  
"This is far less expensive, I promise," he said, rapidly regaining his swagger, and reached back into the messenger bag. He pulled out a loaf of fresh bread, a small bundle of grapes, strawberries, and limes, a tall bottle of orange juice, and at last a tiny box of Belgian chocolates. "I got to spend the best evening with a friend of mine this week, and she said something that made me wonder… have you ever _eaten_ while transformed?"

Her eyes melted at the beautiful little meal. She shook her head. As he looked at her, with a little smirk playing at the corners of his lips, her heart picked up its pace. He was so much more than what she had assumed when they first met. He was thoughtful, and patient, compassionate, and—as much as she hated to admit it—funny.

"Well then," he continued, "it's high time." He tore the loaf in two and gave her half. She took a bite.

"Oh. My." He was right: lifechanging.

* * *

_Author Note: I have an idea where this is heading, but reviews and fellow musings are welcome! Lots more to come._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Kitty: So… I was thinking**

**Milady: That's dangerous**

**Kitty: hey**

**Kitty: whatever. U said u told Rena Rouge your identity**

**Milady: yah**

**Kitty: can i tell someone mine too?**

**Milady: :[**

**Kitty: cmon, y not?**

**Milady: depends **

**Kitty: I'll be good I swear**

**Milady: who u got in mind? Its gotta be super trustworthy**

Adrien honestly didn't think he'd get this far. The last month had been intense. Everyone had told him how great summer break was, but he hated it. Father had tripled his work load—fencing and modeling almost every day, piano and Chinese tutors in and out of his room constantly, and extra mathematics, literature, and engineering tutors to help him "prepare for the upcoming school year." If that weren't enough, Hawkmoth seemed to have ample time on his hands, as he sent akuma after akuma at them. Ladybug tried to reassure him that this was helping them get stronger. And it was true—he _was _getting stronger, on all fronts. The akumas were captured faster, his fencing was almost too easy, his photographer was thrilled with his new muscles, and even his piano playing had improved now that he had some serious frustration to pound into his new Rachmaninoff prelude. More importantly, his relationship with Ladybug was getting stronger. It was almost as if they could read each other's thoughts, they were so in-tune recently. Adrien scrolled back up to the text Ladybug had sent him last night:

**Milady: Have I told you lately that you're amazing?**

**Kitty: go on**

**Milady: howd you stop that akuma so fast? It was crazy!**

**Kitty: I told u, I got skills**

**Milady: haha**

**Milady: you've really leveled up, u no?**

**Kitty: u2**

**Kitty: it helps to have the best partner a kitty could ask for**

**Milady: it helps to have a partner you can trust**

Trust. It was the perfect word to describe the place they'd arrived at; implicit trust. So, he'd been thinking about it for hours and finally mustered up the courage to ask if he could divulge his secret in a friend. He rapidly typed back:

**Kitty: I didn't think you'd say yes. Haha**

**Kitty: I gotta think about it. Someone very trustworthy. **

**Milady: and wait for the right time, k?**

**Kitty: of course**

**Milady: and let me know when u decide**

**Kitty: nah, I don't think I can do that**

**Milady: Chat.**

**Kitty: haha**

He climbed out of bed, showered, and got dressed. He thumped down to the empty dining hall for breakfast. "Thanks, Gerard," he murmured as one of the staff brought him a baguette and fruit. Gerard also placed the typewritten daily schedule on the table beside him. "Hey Gerard, want to sit down and have breakfast with me?" Adrien asked impulsively. The slender staff member halted, looked at him quizzically, and left the room. Adrien felt the familiar raw ache in his stomach as he was left, yet again, alone with his meal and his father's expectations. Even Nathalie had been barely present in the last month and a half, only communicating by text or email, or, like today, a typewritten schedule. He took a bite and looked at the sterile paper.

Interesting, it was nearly empty. Other than the fencing tournament at noon, the rest of his tutors had been cancelled. _Nice. I could use a day off. _But then, the last line… _oh no._

* * *

Marinette pulled her sheets over her head and snuggled lower in her bed, clutching the slim silver phone tightly. So, Chat Noir wanted to share his secret with someone… her gut reaction was _definitely not_, but she remembered how close they'd grown in the last year, and especially the last month and a half. It was like they were one in thought and movement. The synergy between them was almost intoxicating. The phones definitely helped; they talked about everything: strategy, ideas about Hawkmoth or Mayura, recounting their latest akuma battles, of course punctuated by the frequent cat meme or other hilarity Chat Noir had discovered. Marinette tried to keep the Ladyphone as professional as possible, but she couldn't put it down. Chat Noir understood this life. They confided in each other frequently about the burden of the dual life, the difficulty of coming up with excuses, and every now and then, the confession that something personal was going on. She'd deduced that Chat Noir's civilian persona was incredibly busy, but incredibly lonely. She was pretty sure she'd admitted that she was trying new recipes and that she was mourning the end of school and daily interactions with a certain someone. He had taken that little tidbit amazingly well, saying he understood missing school. Marinette tried not to talk about her crush on Adrien with Chat Noir; it was painful enough for her to discuss on its own, let alone knowing she was breaking Chat Noir's heart. All this rolled up into one amazing friendship with a boy who, despite not knowing his name, she trusted implicitly. Besides, she'd come to rely on Alya so heavily that she had a hard time remembering the difficulty of not having anyone to confide in.

Marinette gave Chat her consent. He deserved it. He went offline, so she thumbed through some of the other apps on her phone. Besides AkumaAlert and the private chat function, there was a silent browser that allowed her to search anything she wanted without leaving an electronic footprint, an app that hacked into the traffic cams and police frequencies all around Paris, a full copy of Master Fu's translated Grimoire, and, of course, SuperPenguino (Ladybug and Chat Noir's code names had flown to the top of the online records chart in the first week they played). Marinette flipped through the Grimoire on the phone for a few minutes before getting up and getting dressed for the day.

"Good morning, sweetheart," her dad said as she joined them for breakfast. "What've you got going on today?"

"I'm working on a project," she said between bites of croissant, "so I'm thinking I'll put in some good time at the sewing machine. And I was going to watch Adrien's fencing tournament around noon. If I have time, I wanted to try a new recipe for cheese puffs. A friend requested some."

That caught Tom's attention. "Ooh, a new recipe? What type of cheese? Let me talk to my supplier…"

As they finished the meal, however, her Ladyphone vibrated. She kissed her parents and retreated to her room to respond.

**Kitty: urgent, can u call me?**

She quickly typed back:

**Milady: safe now?**

**Kitty: safe**

She immediately dialed the phone. These little security precautions had actually been Chat's idea—make sure that they're alone before they even call, keep the phones hidden, don't use identifying phone cases…

He picked up on the first ring. "Ladybug, I've got a problem." He sounded panicky.

"What's the matter?"

"It's… personal."

Personal. Their code word for anything that might give away their identities. "Understood. Tell me as much as you can."

"I… I have to go out of town for two weeks."

"Family vacation?"

"Something like that."

"Dang," she responded slowly. "That is a problem." They both knew that Hawkmoth would definitely strike in the next two weeks—he'd been attacking almost daily for a month. "And there's no way you could, like, stay here with a friend?"

"No, I don't think I can. My father is adamant." He was silent as they both chewed this information over.

"When do you leave?"

"Tonight."

"Where will you be going?"

He hesitated. "Far."

Marinette started pacing her room. She looked around. Her wardrobe caught her attention. "Ok, here's what we're going to do." He audibly sighed into the phone. "I'm going to bring you the miraculous of the horse and another bit of protection I've been working on. You're going to keep your phone on you at all times and… it's going to be ok, right?"

"What about you, though?"

"I'll be alright," she replied, though her shaky voice betrayed her.

"I'd feel better if I knew someone else was here to help you."

"I could ask Rena Rouge," she offered.

"That's… dangerous."

"Chat, I'll be alright. I don't want another partner. You just get back as soon as you can."

He took a deep breath before conceding, "Ok."  
"I need to bring this miraculous over. Where are you at?"

"Uh, home…"  
"Hm. Can you meet me somewhere?"

He thought for a second before responding, "Do you know where Collège Françoise Dupont is?"

"Yes."

"Adrien Agreste is competing in a fencing tournament there today. I was going to go watch," he said carefully. "I'll meet you on the roof after the competition."

"Ok," she said hesitantly. "I'll be there."

"Ladybug, thank you."

"Hey, what are partners for?"

* * *

Kagami placed her fencing gear in the back and slid into the back seat by Adrien. "Thank you for the ride," she told his bodyguard. He merely grunted and started driving. She smiled at Adrien. While they saw each other frequently at fencing practice, they'd hardly spoken in over a month, ever since she'd kissed him on the Dupain-Cheng staircase. He gave a tiny half-smile in response. She took a slow breath, "Are we ever going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" he asked, looking out the window.

"You know. Us."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Kagami, I just…"

"You don't have to say everything right now, of course," she interjected.

"I _have _thought about us," he tried again.

But she interrupted again, "Because I was thinking about how you said you were more than just trophies and report cards and I _know _that, but you can't deny that we are evenly matched."

"Kagami—"

"And I know our parents approve, which is tough to come by."

"Kagami—"

"After all, who else can bring out the best in you? Your fencing has improved so much since we first started training together."

"_Kagamiwouldyoustopinterrupting?" _It came out a little harsh, so he tried to soften his face. "I really enjoy being with you, I do, but I just don't think we make a good couple."

Her mouth dropped in a little 'oh.' Then she shook her head slightly and asked, "Will you tell me why?"

He tried to be delicate, "There's more to a relationship than just participating in the same sports or speaking the same languages." She looked confused. "Do you really love being with me, even when we don't have fencing practice? Do I make you happy?"

Her head cocked to one side and her eyebrows knit together. "As we learn and work together, I do feel accomplished," she responded.

"But do I make you happy? What if I invited you to come play video games. Would you like that?"

She wrinkled her nose, "Video games are time wasters."

"Or what about just sitting on a quiet rooftop somewhere and talking while watching the stars come out?"

"That's what you like to do? Just sit around?"

He shook his head, "No, I like to spend quiet time with the people I care about. And I do care about you, but when we're together, I feel like you just want to practice or rehearse or improve something. I can't relax and be myself, and I don't think you can either."

She looked down at her hands and fidgeted slightly. "That _is _who I am. I want to be the best I can be."

"Kagami, that's totally cool, and if that's who you are, I completely respect it," he rushed, "but it's not who _I _am. That's what my Father wants me to be, not who _I _want to be."

"So you're telling me we're not compatible."

"I wouldn't use those words. I'd say that… we are good friends and excellent training partners."

"But, you kissed me. You flirted with me. Don't deny it."

He rubbed the back of his neck again. "I know. I'm sorry. I was having a rough time understanding my feelings and I was selfish. I really thought I could learn to love you the way you wanted. Oh Kagami, I'm so sorry." A small tear slipped down her cheek. He felt like a first-rate jerk. "Please forgive me," he said quietly.

They arrived at the school for the tournament. She didn't speak as she bolted from the car. He sighed. He extracted his gear from the back and plodded to the locker room to change.

The tournament was surprisingly small, which Adrien didn't mind. A smaller group meant it would go faster. As he prepared for the pools to begin, he scanned over the small crowd of family and friends that had come to watch. Of course, neither he nor Kagami had family in attendance, but Nino and Alya were there, and next to them was Marinette. She seemed distracted, and was looking around here at the crowd, as if she was looking for someone. Eventually they made eye contact and he gave her a little wave. She jumped slightly in her seat, then relaxed and waved back.

The pools went very fast indeed. His first match up he won easily, making all his required touches before the three minute time limit expired, and only getting touched once. The second was similar. The third match-up was with Kagami. Knowing he'd just hurt her made him hesitate, and she took advantage, lunged, and touched her sabre into his chest. The second touch happened just as quickly. She lifted her mask briefly and glared at him. "You're antagonizing me."

He shook his head. They parried, she touched and gained another point. "Stop it," she growled from behind the mask. He still couldn't bring himself to attack her, so he barely moved his feet as she touched again and again. She made her points, the match-up ended, she ripped the mask from her face and barreled at him. "So help me, Adrien Agreste, you stop this _right now! _I never wanted to be your sloppy seconds and I don't want to be it now. If you truly respect me, truly, you'll quit treating me like I'm fragile and start treating me like your equal!" He winced and rubbed his neck as she marched away.

He responded by throwing himself into the remaining pools, pulverizing his opponents in record time. There was a short break between the pools and the elimination rounds, so Adrien went to say hello to his friends.

"You're doing so well!" Marinette greeted him enthusiastically.

"Wait Mari, you know what's going on?" Nino scoffed.

"Of _course _I do," she countered. "We've just had all the pools, and Adrien has placed second overall. Now we'll have the elimination rounds. Up to three three-minute periods with one minute breaks between the periods—less if they make eight touches; the first person to fifteen points wins, the other is eliminated." Then she looked at Nino and Alya's surprised faces.

"Girl, since when have you been a fencing expert?" Alya laughed.

"What?" she blushed, "I like knowing things about my friends."

"I just wish _I _knew what to do about Kagami," Adrien sighed.

"What's up, bro?" Nino asked.

Adrien shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Marinette looked at him with her head cocked to one side. Then she spun on her heel and walked to Kagami, who was resting on a bench on the other side of the courtyard. Adrien watched from afar as she sat by her friend, put an arm around her shoulder, and spoke some sort of comfort.

"How _does _she do that?" Adrien asked to no one in particular.

"Do what?" Alya responded.

"Help others, all the time… know exactly what they need at that moment… make them feel better…" Adrien continued vaguely as he watched Kagami lean into Marinette and actually smile.

Alya smirked, "It's just part of her Marinette Magic."

The break didn't last much longer, and soon Adrien found himself back on the piste, ready to go. He won this round quickly, reaching fifteen points well before the time limit had expired. He watched as Kagami won her round, and their contestants slumped away. The next rounds ticked by. Adrien looked longingly at the roof of the courtyard.

Soon, Adrien and Kagami were the last two fencers standing. _Of course it would be her, _Adrien thought dramatically. He thought about throwing the match again. As they lifted their masks and saluted each other, Kagami narrowed her eyes and growled just loud enough for him to hear, "Bring your best." They saluted the crowd. Marinette's eyes locked onto Adrien's with such a blazing look that his heart skipped a beat. A last salute to the referee, he lowered his mask—"En garde! Prêts?"—deep breath—"Allez!"—and let his sabre fly.

* * *

He dropped the championship trophy into his gear bag and slipped his feet into his shoes. "Adrien?" Kagami's voice said from behind him. He whipped around, startled by her sudden appearance. "I just wanted to say, great job."

"Uh, thanks. I still don't think I agree with the judge on that last touch… I swear you had me," he tried.

Her face broke into a huge, genuine smile. "No, you won fair and square. Thank you."  
"Thank you? For what?"  
"For bringing out the best in me. That was the best match of fencing I've ever had."

He grinned while rubbing his neck. "Mine too."

"You're right. We do make great fencing partners."

He nodded. She shook his hand, still smiling, and walked away softly. He felt a huge weight lift off his back. He skipped to the alleyway and pulled his shirt open slightly to let Plagg out. "So I guess no more kisses with the ice queen?" he teased.

Adrien was still smiling. "Don't call her that."

Plagg rolled his little eyes. "Thank goodness baker girl talked her down. I was worried she was going to get akumatized and I'd have to spend half the afternoon smushed in your ring with no cheese."

"I don't know what Marinette said, but it did the trick," Adrien sighed. "She always seems to know what to do."

"Ugh," Plagg responded, "don't tell me you're now going to start kissing baker girl too…"

Adrien laughed at the kwami, punched the air softly and said, "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug was sitting against one of the chimneys, idly flipping through the silver phone Chat Noir had given her. He smiled. Those were the gift that kept on giving. She looked up and slipped the phone into an invisible pocket by her yo-yo.

"Did Adrien get off ok?" He started. "I… didn't know when the tournament would end exactly, so I, kinda, er," she stood and dug her toe in the ground, "came for the last few rounds."

"You were _here_?" Adrien blurted from behind the mask. "You were _watching?"_

She smiled, "Don't worry, I kept a safe distance."

He was suddenly so glad he'd tried his hardest on that final round, and even more glad he'd beaten Kagami—even if it were only by one touch.

"That final was something else," she mused, looking dreamy. "I've never seen footwork like that."

"You're familiar with fencing?" he stammered, trying to wrap his head around this. _Ladybug had been watching him all afternoon and he hadn't seen her. She understood fencing…She'd been watching _him.

She nodded, "Why, does that surprise you?"

"Well, yes… I mean no, I mean, y-you can like whatever you want and you'd be good at anything…"

She laughed and shook her head, "Silly kitty. Can I show you what I brought?" He nodded to shake off the bemusement. She picked up a rather large, nondescript bag and reached inside. Of course, she brought out the small, hexagonal box he knew would contain the horse miraculous. "Chat Noir, I give you the miraculous of the horse," she recited.

He smiled, "For the greater good, return it when I get back, I know."

She pouted, "You're not going to let me do my speech?"

He laughed. "Text it to me!"

"Now Chat," she scowled, placing one hand on her hip, "I would normally advise caution and to never use this miraculous for your own purposes, but I've been studying the Grimoire. One thing is absolutely certain—the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses are a _pair. _Its crucial we be in contact. So, while I don't encourage you to use this to go gallivanting across the globe, don't hesitate to get me if you need me. I will be keeping my phone on me at all times as well." He smiled. "I'm only a short voyage away."

That made him laugh. "Will you check in, every night?"

She nodded. "You'd better respond. I know these puppies" (she patted the phone) "have _excellent_ reception. You could be camping in the alps and still get through to me."

"That's right," he said as he puffed out his chest, "but they're kitties, not puppies."

She rolled her eyes. "I have more," she said, pulling out a white box from her bag and hesitating. "I've been thinking, ever since Strange-Mayura and Mayura-Wannabe," he snorted, "that there might be something to having a disguise that we can wear while not transformed." She handed him the box. He opened it carefully.

A pair of black leather cat ears were attached to a headband that had a matching mask. He carefully extracted them and put them on over his actual Chat Noir mask. "Whatchya think?"

She laughed, but nodded, "It'll work better when you're not already transformed."

He placed the mask and ears back in the box, noticing the rest of the costume folded neatly inside it. He didn't take it all out, but had enough experience with fashion to recognize the fine craftsmanship.

"Did you _make _this?" he gawked.

"No," she said slowly and carefully, "I took your advice. I asked for help."

"Who then?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was really excited to make them."

He nodded knowingly. "She does have talent."

Ladybug blushed. Chat couldn't understand why. "I _did _make this," she said, reaching into the bag once again and pulling out a paper sack, "for Plagg. Tell him I used a new brand of camembert, and ask him if it has enough rosemary," she said seriously.

"You do spoil him," he laughed as he took the sack from her. He could smell the cheese puffs through the paper, but there was more than that. He didn't even have to open the bag, "and me. Passionfruit macarons, chocolate croissants, bread, fruit, quiche, salmon pie…" he tapered off as his nose stopped identifying new treats.

"Well, some of that is from the Dupain Bakery. When I picked up your outfit, Mr. Dupain just couldn't stop."

"Thank you, Ladybug," he sighed as he breathed in the scent from the bag. He spread his arms and she immediately returned his hug. She buried her face in his chest and said something that was too muffled to understand. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to miss you," she said, pulling her face back.

"Aw, I knew you had a soft spot for this old kitty. But you _do _know I only said two weeks, right?" She nodded. One of his crazy ideas struck him and he pulled out his silver cell phone. "Hey, say cheese!" She looked at his outstretched arm as he quickly snapped the photo before she could protest, then wrapped his arm back around her for a moment longer and whispered into her hair, "I'm going to miss you too. Just a phone call away."

They pulled apart. Chat Noir knew he was being melodramatic. Two weeks in England wouldn't be that bad. He put everything back in the bag and swung it over his shoulder. He wished he'd had a chance to get her a gift as well. From the rooftop, he could see the silver sedan pull up—his bodyguard was waiting for him after taking Kagami home separately (Adrien was pleased with how his bodyguard had suggested such an excellent excuse for him to stay late after the tournament). "I've got to go," he said with a hint of despair.

Ladybug's eyes were blazing and she smiled. "Be safe, Chaton."

"You too, Bugaboo."

* * *

For being a model, Adrien really didn't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. But he couldn't help but turn side to side in front of his full-length bathroom mirror this time. He hadn't been in his room for five minutes before tearing the box open and trying on the costume. It was _incredible. _The material, though not indestructible like his Chat suit, had a slight stretch but was still sturdy. The black pants had a couple of invisible pockets, but were straight-legged and semi formal. The shirt was button down with a tall collar and cut in at his ribcage so it hugged his muscles perfectly. Then, a solid black jacket with leather trim and hidden panels inside completed the ensemble. One panel had a pocket lined with reflective insulation, and a little note that read "For camembert." (Plagg had done a backflip at that one.) The only thing not in solid black was a pair of bright green shoes, that, despite having a very sleek style, were the most comfortable thing he'd ever put on his feet. He slipped the mask on and gasped at his appearance. It was more decorative than Chat Noir's, with intricate green embroidery around the edges; stitches so tiny they could only be seen up-close. The ears nestled into his hair, and the mask tied in the back to prevent any slippage.

He couldn't remember when exactly he'd told Ladybug to ask for help, but he was certainly glad she had. Marinette's skill was magical. Of course, Ladybug must have been a big part of the designing team, because the suit was everything he could have asked for without actually transforming: subtle enough to fit in, flexible enough to see action, utilitarian and still immaculate—and it fit him absolutely perfectly.

A sharp knock at the door pulled him from his reverie. "Adrien," Nathalie's voice called, "you have ten minutes." He quickly changed back into his street clothes and put the black suit in a garment bag with a lock, and then packed it in his wardrobe suitcase. The majority of his packing had been done for him, and from the looks of it, this was going to be a particularly unpleasant trip. There was a huge trunk of his modeling supplies, but then there was also his solid-black tuxedo and a couple of basic grey suits. There wasn't a single pair of jeans in the whole pile. Not to mention, he'd found out upon arriving that Nathalie, not his father, or his bodyguard, or even Gerard, would be his chaperone. Nathalie looked pale, and Adrien had wondered if her absence had been because she was ill. Either way, he was really not looking forward to the next two weeks. With resignation, Adrien added his toothbrush to the suitcase, threw in a pair of sweats and a hoodie, and grabbed his phone charger.

"Adrien," Plagg whined, "there isn't enough room in here for two week's worth of cheese."

"Well, take what you can and we'll get some more when we arrive. I promise you, there's cheese in London." They both went through everything one last time. Adrien grabbed his grey messenger bag, made sure the horse miraculous, disguised in a sunglasses case, was safely stowed there, and checked his pocked for the fortieth time for the sleek silver cellphone he never put down. "Alright, Plagg, let's get this over with."

* * *

Adrien reclined his seat slightly and tried to relax. He absentmindedly flipped through pictures on his Chatphone. He settled on the one he'd snuck of him and Ladybug together earlier that afternoon. They were in each other's arms. Her face was pressed into his chest, and she was looking at the camera with a tight-lipped smile. He hadn't noticed it when he'd snapped the picture, but there was the hint of a tear in those stunning bluebell eyes. He zoomed in on the eyes. They were focused and blazing, and sad that he was leaving. He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out one of the chocolate croissants and let it melt over his tongue. He was still looking at Ladybug's eyes when something bumped his arm.

"Ooh, who's in the picture?" He jumped a foot as his stomach hit the floor. He shut the phone off while sliding it into his shirt pocket and out of sight.

"Lila!" he gasped. "I didn't know you were going to be on this train. Where are you heading?"

"Um, London of course, silly!" She laughed, tossing back her hair. "We're only Paris' top modelling couple. Of _course_ we're going to be representing _Gabriel_ together at the opening of the new store. I'm so excited! Two whole weeks together!" She didn't ask permission as she grabbed his grey messenger bag and pulled out the paper sack of pastries Ladybug had given him. "Oh, look, you've got cheesepuffs! I love these things," she said as she poked two into her mouth and chewed with relish. The train started to pull away from the station.

"Excuse me Lila, I need to use the restroom," he said politely, grabbing his messenger bag and climbing over her. He locked the door on the stall and pulled out the silver phone. After typing in _Bluebell3Eyes, _he immediately opened the private chat.  
**Kitty: serious problem. Mayura-wannabe is going the same place as me.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Milady: are you ok?**

**Kitty: she's just stealing Plagg's cheesepuffs for now**

**Milady: im so so sorry! **

**Kitty: he says to tell you that he almost cataclysmed her but then changed his mind because you probably wouldn't make more cheesepuffs**

**Milady: I would have made him a mountain of cheesepuffs if he had**

**Kitty: barely left Paris and already in bad trouble.**

**Milady: careful, don't tell me where you are, ok?**

**Kitty: I'll try**

**Milady: Stay safe. Keep an eye on her.**

**Kitty: can't I just come home now?**

**Milady: I wouldn't be opposed**

**Kitty: I know I know. **

Marinette tried hard not to extrapolate any information about Chat Noir's identity from this string of texts. He was usually a lot more careful about guarding his personal life; he must have been really worked up.

**Kitty: I gotta go back.**

Marinette sent him one of the dozen selfies she'd taken before de-transforming, knowing they would give him courage.

**Milady: u got this**

"Marinette? Are you ready?" She quickly stashed her phone in her pocket and smiled at Kagami.

"Yep. Just checking in on a friend."

Kagami nodded, then pulled her own fencing mask down over her face. Marinette mirrored the image.

"Now, let's practice this again," Kagami continued, "extend the back leg and foot at a right angle. Ready, lunge, parry."

Marinette lunged and parried, lunged and parried, and lunged again until her body was sore. Kagami issued instructions, she followed. "Are you sure you want to keep going?" Kagami would ask and Marinette would just nod and lift her foil for another round. "You sure are dedicated," Kagami finally gasped, holding up her hand and removing her mask. "I need a break."

The two girls sat on the bench in Kagami's gym and sipped from their water bottles. "You've really improved this last month. I'm duly impressed."

"Thanks, Kagami. And thanks again for teaching me."

"I have to admit, when you first asked me to train you in fencing, I was surprised. I thought you'd have asked Adrien."

Marinette laughed a little. "Yeah, right."

"Why didn't you ask him?" Kagami pressed in her no-nonsense way.

Marinette had learned, through the course of the last month spending more time with Kagami, that the simple truth was always the best. "I didn't want you to think I was moving in on your guy. Also, I wanted to train with the best fencer in Paris."

Kagami smiled, "Thank you," but then she frowned, "but he's not my guy."

Marinette's mouth fell open. "Wait, _what?"_

"I don't think he ever was."

Marinette still looked like a fish. "But, you've been going out for, like, two months! He told me he was in _love _with you!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? He said he was in love with _me?_"

Marinette scanned her memory, ready to retort hotly, but then she realized something, "Come to think of it, he didn't say your name. He just said 'the girl I love.' I assumed he meant you."

Kagami smiled a little, "No, he didn't mean me."

"I'm sorry, Kagami."

"It's ok. We talked, and the tournament today helped me realize what we are truly meant to be—partners."

The word 'partners' brought Marinette up short. She couldn't quite formulate the sentence for several moments, before finally whispering, "How do you know that's all you're meant to be?"

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know if your partner is best just left as a partner? How do you know when it's not supposed to be something more?"

Kagami looked at Marinette quizzically. "I'm still not exactly sure what you're asking."

"I have a partner, and sometimes I wonder if he means more to me than just… a partner. I know he would like it to be more, but I'm worried about hurting him and our partnership."

Kagami thought about that for a bit. "Well, with Adrien, I tried. I tried to make it not-a-partnership. But it was never so great. When we're fencing, though, it's like we drive the other person to be better. When we were together without the masks on, it was always uncomfortable." Again, Kagami used a word that made Marinette stutter. "I don't know what it would have been like if it had been good. I suppose it would have felt right, and open, and free. If it doesn't feel right, then it's probably best to just stay partners."

Marinette ruminated on that as the girls cleaned up their fencing gear and bid goodnight to each other. Kagami's mother ordered the car to take Marinette home. Marinette was still lost in deep thought when she climbed into bed an hour later. She pulled out the picture of Adrien tucked under her bed and wondered. For the first time since she'd met him, she felt like her heart was being ripped in two. She was still deeply smitten by Adrien, and she knew she always would be. But then there was this silly cat who drove her crazy, but she couldn't live without.

She pulled out her silver phone and slid it open.

**Milady: Checking in. Quiet night. What u up to?**

A minute later, he sent her a photo of the bottom half of his face with three passionfruit macarons stuffed in his mouth.

* * *

The line of people stretched around the corner and out of sight. Adrien wiggled his toes uncomfortably in the _Gabriel _shoes he'd been assigned for the day. He'd have to ask Marinette to make him something better, someday. Today's meet-and-greet was going to be painful.

The limousine brought him right to the barrier and someone opened the door to reveal the plush red carpet. He got out and waved serenely to the horde of cameras and screaming fans. Lila clambered out of the limo behind him and bumped into his back. Trying to be a gentleman, he took her hand and whispered, "Just smile and wave." She narrowed her eyes and pumped her hand in the air, but the paparazzi called his name, and his name alone.

They worked their way to the glittering white storefront and inside the building. The room was crammed with reporters and _Gabriel _board members. Once the hubbub from the arrival settled down, Adrien and Lila were posed on chairs for a press conference.

Most of the questions were directed at the board members, and asked about the company, upcoming business ventures, what they were planning on showing in the fall Fashion Week. Adrien let his mind wander. He wondered what Ladybug was doing right now. Well, she wouldn't be Ladybug at this moment, most likely. She'd be… whoever she was… and probably doing… something amazing. He tried to picture her without a mask, maybe her hair done up in an elegant knot, wearing something regal. She would have that knowing smile and those blazing bluebell eyes and she would say his name with such care that it would make his legs melt.

His name. Someone just said his name. "Oh yeah, Adrien and I are _very _close," Lila was saying from beside him. She reached and squeezed his bicep.

He pulled it away. "Well, not _that _close," he snapped before he thought through his actions. "I mean, we go to school together and have done a couple photoshoots together, but we're just… friends," he added quickly. The word "friends" may have contained too much venom. He tried to counter it by smiling at the press corps.

Lila's voice went sugary sweet. "Oh honey, you don't have to be so modest."

He narrowed his eyes at her and whispered at her, covering the microphone, "Don't do this here." But she plowed ahead.

"It's true that Adrien's schedule is tight, but, the other day, he asked me to be his—"

"We're not dating!" he blurted loudly. Her eyes flew open and a gasp rang through the crowd, who immediately started clicking their cameras more furiously. "We never were! My Father asked me to do some modelling with Miss Rossi, and so I did. We do attend the same school, but other than that, we are not together." Lila took a deep breath, readying herself to say something.

Adrien wouldn't have said it if it weren't for the smug little sneer on Lila's face. "Besides, there's someone else."

The reporters all started crowding in, eager to get this juicy gossip to their viewers before anyone could steal it from them. "Who?" "Who?" "Who?" they yelled over each other.

He played shy. "I… left my heart in Paris." He hoped this open-ended response would appease his Father. Perhaps, by leaving room for all the girls in Paris to wonder if it was them, the fact that he'd just snubbed Gabriel's handpicked number two could be overlooked.

He deflected the remaining questions, which eventually returned to the board members. Lila looked poised to speak, but nobody asked her anything further. By the end of the hour of horror, her shoulders were rounded and her jaw was tight from grinding her teeth. They were given an hour break to reset hair and makeup and prepare for autographs. Adrien changed into another outfit, just as uncomfortable as the first. As he tried to grab a quick bite of food from the buffet table, Lila stormed up to him.

"What was _that all about?_" she sneered.

He raised his eyebrows innocently, "What was what?"

"'I left my heart in Paris,'" she mocked. "Your father hand picked me for this assignment and you know as well as I do what that means."

"Yes," he said, letting his voice drop to a menacing growl, "it means we have to pose together in front of the camera. But that's _all._"

She glared and stamped her foot. "You _will _go out with me, and you _will _make it look convincing."

He laughed in spite of himself. "No, I won't. There is nothing in my contract that dictates who I can love. And, sorry, Lila, but I do not, and will not ever love you."

She squeaked in fury, clenched her fists, and spun around. Several of the other models and board members were nearby, unintentionally eavesdropping on this rather loud conversation. "What are _you _all staring at?" she yelled, "Out of my way!" and Lila pushed one of the other models so that the poor girl toppled into the tower of glasses at the bar. With a sickening crunch, she was doused in a waterfall of glass. Adrien rushed to her side and helped her up, brushing glass off her back and out of her hair. One rather large piece had lodged in the back of her arm and blood was already flowing.

"Come on," he said gently, "let's get you to first aid." Nathalie was suddenly there, or perhaps she'd always been there? Either way, Adrien looked to her as she rounded on Lila. He braced for the inevitable impact—he knew how scary Nathalie could get when she was angry.

But it wasn't with fury that Nathalie spoke, instead, she smiled a little at Lila and said in a very calculated tone, "Are you alright?"

Everyone in the room stood, mouth gaping, as Lila put on an act, "Oh thank you, Ms. Nathalie," she crooned. "That girl was looking positively _murderous."_

Nathalie continued, "It's a good thing your instincts were so sharp." She looked to the other board members and models with a withering glare and continued, "We wouldn't want anyone to mess with our top model, on today of all days. Someone, get this cleaned up. And you," Nathalie turned a stony eye to the bleeding, terrified girl in Adrien's arms, "you're fired."

* * *

"Where are you?" he screamed into Marinette's ear.

"The Dupain Bakery," she replied automatically.

"I'm coming!"

_Oh no! _ She raced to her room and locked the door. "Tikki, spots on!" she yelled as she flew to her

skylight and to the balcony above. She jumped to the roof just as the air split in a brilliant circle of light that widened and revealed a very terrified young man with a blond bun, skin-tight brown and black suit, and black glasses. It was strange seeing him transformed by the horse miraculous; it didn't suit him well.

"Let's go," he called, extending a hand. She took it and they dove back through the portal before it closed.

They emerged in an alleyway that smelled vaguely familiar. The buildings were tight against her. The voices of the people were odd, speaking in that clipped, nasal tongue she didn't care much for. She really had tried hard not to find out where Chat Noir was, but there was no mistaking the buildings, smells, sounds, and feel of London.

As the people running down the adjacent street screamed, she started assessing the situation. The ground rumbled. She could hear the unmistakable sound of some kind of monster crunching cars and buildings a few blocks away. Everyone was panicking—people were screaming and stampeding over each other to get away. London had never had an akuma or sentimonster attack; the people here didn't know what to expect or do. "Chat Noir, they're terrified," she cried.

"They're not used to this," he shook his head. She looked at him. He was just so strange in that outfit. She suppressed a giggle.

"Ok, you need to go feed Kaalki and get your Chat on," she said, not doing a good job of hiding the levity in her voice.

He scowled. "What's so funny?"

She hid the smile behind her hand. "It's just, your _hair," _she said, openly laughing now, "It's a man-bun. I know what Queen Bee might say about this…"

"And you say _I _find the worst times to make jokes," he growled with a twinkle in his eye. He slipped back into the alleyway. "Don't watch, ok?"

She kept her attention on the people in the street and tried to make out the monster wreaking havoc a few blocks away, but still couldn't help but overhear his voice whisper, "Whoa Kaalki," and a few moments later, "Plagg, claws out!" Chat Noir emerged from the alleyway.  
"How's your English?" she asked.

"Purrfect, as always," he responded.

She rolled her eyes. "See if you can help the people get to safety. I'll go check out this thing." He nodded, and effortlessly went into that compassionate mode that made it hard to look away. She used her yo-yo to fly to the rooftops and gained her bearings. Marinette had been here before; a couple years ago, her parents had brought her to London just to support her design habit. She'd spent hours in Sloane Square, goggling over the fashion stores and promising herself that she'd, someday, have a piece on display here. She shook the memory away quickly, though, and locked eyes on the sentimonster. This one was much more refined than the last they had faced, but it was still nothing compared to Mayura's normal standard. It was a tower of wooden blocks, like the ones she saved for play time with Manon, but each the size of a car and precariously wobbling in a serpentine tower. Every few moments, the top block would plummet from its perch and smash into something on the ground, then find its way to the base of the monster and rejoin the stack from the bottom. She watched in horror as the sentimonster crunched another car, and then shattered the glass of Sloane Square's _Gabriel _storefront. Marinette couldn't help but feel a twang of heartbreak as the shards of glass embedded themselves into the incredible dress on display. "I'll teach you to choose some random no-name over me!" a voice screamed from somewhere nearby, as the sentimonster flung another block toward the _Gabriel _store.

Ladybug swung in and lassoed the monster's midsection with her yo-yo and yanked with all her might. The middle popped out and all the higher blocks fell in a cascade of wood and destruction, but they started to coalesce immediately. She launched herself toward the wood and kicked out an even lower block, but again, it just rejoined the remaining tower and grew tall again, quickly.

"It's not working," Chat Noir yelled from behind her, making her jump. "I couldn't contain it either!"

"How long have you been fighting this thing before you came and got me?" she called back at him as they both tried to prevent blocks from doing more damage.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "A… while. But we're going to be ok. I think I know where the amok is," he said, pointing toward the ruins of the _Gabriel _store. "A girl came out of there, one of the models. She was yelling about being passed over for someone else. She was holding a set of keys."

Ladybug narrowed her eyes up the street and saw the girl Chat Noir had pointed at. She had a bandaged arm but looked frightfully outraged. But her swarthy skin, her perfectly set hair, and even her edgy cocktail dress all spoke of another serious issue: "She's not akumatized!"

"I know," Chat bellowed, deflecting a massive block from pummeling the building. "It's just a sentimonster. No akuma."

"How are we going to get out of this one?" she asked herself out loud. "Lucky charm!" A camera fell in her arms. "Oh great, just _great," _she muttered, "what am I supposed to do now?"

Chat Noir's masked eyebrows flew up when he saw the camera. "Ladybug, I think I know what we're supposed to do!" he shouted jubilantly.

She tossed him the camera. He did a backflip and tore off toward the girl, leaving Ladybug to wrangle the sentimonster alone. She started grabbing the blocks with her yo-yo and tossing them back at it in order to stop them from doing more damage. Ladybug couldn't hear what he was saying, nor could she look away from the sentimonster for any more than a fraction of a second, but a few minutes later, it gave a mighty lurch and suddenly stopped. The blocks flopped listlessly to the ground.

She tossed her yo-yo high and swung down the street in Chat Noir's direction. The girl was pressed up against him and he was patting her hair with one paw while holding the set of keys in the other. "What happened to you was really unfair," he was whispering. "But it's going to be ok. We're going to make sure everything is ok."

Ladybug felt her heart be ripped with emotion—she was so grateful for this amazing kitty who knew exactly how to help… but she was also a tiny bit jealous of the girl in his arms. When he locked eyes with her and smiled, she smiled back, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. He quietly handed the set of keys to her, which she smashed. A purple feather escaped, which she purified with her yo-yo. The crumpled sentimonster disappeared. Then she looked down to the camera at Chat Noir's feet. She made to grab it, but Chat Noir softly said, "Can we use it first?" The purpose of the camera became clear. Ladybug's earrings chirped, but she used her last few minutes to take pictures of Chat with the model, and he took several of her as well. When her earrings started beeping in earnest, she slipped the memory card out of the camera and handed it to the girl, who accepted it with delight.

"This will for sure land me a better job than anything I ever got with _Gabriel_," she trilled. _"_Thank you, Ladybug, Chat Noir." They nodded their response.

Ladybug quickly tossed the camera high and shouted "Miraculous Ladybug!" The people of London marveled to see the sparkling ladybugs heal the store and street quickly. With seconds to spare, Ladybug used her yo-yo to lift herself to the nearest rooftop and out of sight. She felt her transformation fall and caught Tikki in her palms. She instinctively retrieved a cookie from her purse and gave it to her friend. But then she heard Chat Noir land behind her.

"DON'T LOOK!" Marinette screamed in a panic. But when she turned to look at him he already had a paw over his eyes.

"I won't," he promised. He reached into one of the invisible pockets on his suit and extracted a pair of glasses. "I knew you'd need these," he said with a little shrug.

She took them, put them on, and called, "Kaalki, full gallop!"

"Can I look now?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied lightly. His eyes searched her new outfit. Then, he burst into laughter. "What?"

"I guess the horse miraculous doesn't really suit either of us," he guffawed. She rolled her eyes, but joined in his laughter. They both laughed until they couldn't stand up straight, and fell to the rooftop underneath them, holding their sides.

But then they were quiet, lying next to each other, staring at the blue London sky, and the reality of the situation started to settle in.

"Uh, Ladybug," Chat started, very carefully, "why were you at the Dupain Bakery?"

The question whisked her breath away. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the time she would have to tell him everything. She rolled on her side to look him in the eyes. They were quiet and fervent as they met hers. He had certainly proved himself. She wanted to tell him. He tentatively took her hand in his and held it so gently… she felt her heart melting. _She wanted to tell him desperately._

But then, a memory stirred of her sweet Kitty in that glaring white costume, surrounded by water, saying _her_ name. Her heart wrenched again. She knew what might happen if he ever found out who she was beneath the mask. She didn't know why it was so dangerous, but she knew it was.

"It's personal."

His face fell in quiet resignation.

"Chat," she said, very quietly and with as much love as she could muster, "we're going to have to agree to forget everything about this one. I can't think about why you're here, or why Lila's here too, or how long you fought that sentimonster without me. And you can't think about why I was visiting Marinette."

His eyes were closed in pain. "It'd be so much easier to just be honest with each other."

She choked back a tear. "I know. I want to tell you everything. But we can't, we just can't."

He nodded slowly. "For your information, I was assigned by my newspaper to cover the opening of the _Gabriel _store."

So he was a reporter. Or a photographer? But then she felt compelled to reply, "And Marinette had just finished _my _half of our new costume line." He nodded. She wasn't sure he totally bought her story, but then again, it _was _a lie. Maybe his was too. Either way, they were back at this impasse of cognitive dissonance. She squeezed his hand and leaned her forehead into his chest. She hated lying to him, but she loved him enough to do it.

They stayed there for several minutes. Finally, he got to his feet and pulled her up with him. "It's time for you to get back. Paris needs Ladybug." She nodded. "Also, we're going to have to be on our toes; Hawkmoth has got to be aware that we were both in London today. Who knows how he's going to use that information against us."

She sighed. He was right. This was not good. "Come with me, and take the horse miraculous?" He nodded his agreement. "Voyage," she muttered, concentrating on the fountain near her home. They stepped through. She gave him a brief hug, and then ran behind the carousel and muttered, "Whoa Kaalki." She placed the glasses on the back of one of the horses on the carousel and ran to hide in the hedge. She watched as the carousel started turning, and Chat Noir stood there staring at the place she had disappeared to. As the carousel rotated to bring the glasses to him, his head fell in heartache. He took the glasses and vaulted himself away.

* * *

"Marinette, it's really not that big of a deal," Tikki piped. For twenty solid minutes, her holder had been pacing her room, sometimes reaching for her computer mouse, but then marching away defiantly.

"But Tikki, it _is _a big deal! What if I find an article he wrote? Would I know it was him? What if I don't? What if he was lying to me, just like I did to protect my secret?"  
Tikki rolled her little eyes, "Oh Marinette, you're entirely too worked up about this. It's not like he's going to sign anything he does as 'Chat Noir.'"

Marinette started pulling on her pigtails. "No," she said, stamping her foot, "I'm not going to watch the news. I'm not going to invade his privacy like that."

Tikki smiled demurely.

"OhokIcan'thandleit!" Marinette squealed and raced to her computer before she changed her mind again. She pulled up the website to _Paris Teen Weekly _and there was a link to the press conference at _Gabriel _in London that morning. She absentmindedly listened to it, heart skipping every time a new reporter asked a question. None of them looked vaguely familiar. "I don't know," she sighed to Tikki after ten minutes of bland shop talk with _Gabriel _board members, "he might not even look or sound like himself. Or he might be behind a camera, or he might not have even been at this press conference. He didn't say what exactly he did at… the…" but she trailed off as the camera panned out and she saw who else was at the press conference.

There was Lila Rossi, and next to her, a very bored looking Adrien Agreste. Marinette watched, dumbfounded, heart racing, while a reporter asked, "Miss Rossi, you posted a month ago that you and Adrien Agreste were dating, but that was later contradicted than none other but Ladybug and Chat Noir. Yet, here you are representing _Gabriel _together. You even arrived at this very event, hand-in-hand. Care to set the record straight?"

Lila smiled that nasty sweet smile, and said, "Oh yeah, Adrien and I are _very _close." Marinette's blood started boiling.

"How dare she!" Marinette yelled at her computer screen as Adrien backpedaled to the cameras. But Lila wasn't letting him off so easy. Marinette wanted to climb through the screen and throttle her as she reached over and caressed Adrien's arm. Marinette couldn't hear the audio, she was growling so loud.

But then Adrien got this hard look on his face, pulled away from Lila, and in a deathly intense whisper, said, "Besides, there's someone else."

"_What?" _Marinette gasped aloud.

"I left my heart in Paris," he answered with a dreamy smile.

She paused the playback. She listened to it again four times. "I left my heart in Paris." "I left my heart in Paris."

The blood drained from Marinette's face. It wasn't Kagami. But Adrien's words from the sedan, muttered so nonchalantly, echoed in her head, "The girl I love…" It wasn't Marinette either. She'd made peace with it being Kagami. She had been happy for them, truly. Kagami was smart, strong, beautiful, fierce. Kagami was so much better than her; she understood why Adrien could love Kagami. But it _wasn't Kagami. _It was… someone else.

Marinette fell in her bed and pulled her knees to her chest. "Tikki," she whispered in a dead voice, "I thought I'd moved on. I was thinking about another boy, I was able to talk to Adrien like a normal person, I really thought I'd moved on. Why does this hurt _so much?"_

* * *

Sabine Cheng was sweeping the front steps of the bakery and enjoying the pleasant summer evening of Paris. She stretched her back and neck and looked up at the beautiful building she called home.

Something caught her eye: a tiny, dark purple something was flying straight toward her daughter's bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I loves me a good cliffhanger... but only if it's quickly resolved. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6

"Whoa, Kaalki," Adrien whispered and let the transformation fall.

Plagg slipped out of his shirt pocket while Adrien held the little horse in one hand. She enjoyed a carrot stick Adrien had stashed this morning, just in case. "What a day!" the little horse trilled, tossing her mane back and fluffing her tail. "It's been so long since I worked with such glorious people!"

"This guy? He's not glorious," Plagg laughed. "He's hopeless."

"I was talking about _blllblbp," _Kaalki responded, but as she tried to speak Ladybug's name, her mouth filled with bubbles. She didn't seem to care and kept on talking, "What a noble young lady!"

"Yes, she is," Adrien muttered. "Thanks, Kaalki," he told the little kwami, stroking her mane gently. She did a little twirl and then he returned the glasses to their hexagonal box, and the kwami disappeared.

Adrien's heart was aching. Ladybug had been so close to telling him her identity. He'd hoped, after a year of working together, and especially after she had taken on the added mantle of Guardian, that maybe she'd see the benefit of sharing secret identities. "Plagg, do you think Ladybug will ever trust me with her identity?"

Plagg shrugged, "Why would you want to know who she is? It's so much more fun to take a bite of cheese and not know if it's going to be soft or hard on the inside." He proved his point by swallowing a piece of camembert from his stash whole.

"I guess I just thought things were changing between us. I guess I was wrong."  
For a brief second, Plagg looked like he might say something, but changed his mind. "There's other types of cheese out there, kid."

Adrien scowled. "I don't want cheese, I want to be with Ladybug."

Plagg took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Then do something about it," he said, resigned.

Adrien was shocked. "Wait, are you actually giving me supportive advice?"

Plagg folded his arms and turned away from Adrien. "I won't say it twice. Prove to her how serious you are and indispensable you are."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"You're not really going to make me spell it out, are you?" Plagg huffed. "Think about it; what would really make her happy?"

Adrien thought for a second and got an idea. "Maybe I could make some headway on this whole Lila-slash-Mayura mystery. Ladybug would love it if she didn't have to fret about that anymore."

"I was going to suggest taking her to a cheese store, but I guess that works too."

Adrien sprinted back to the _Gabriel _store. The fans had long since gone home, as the autograph signing session was cancelled due to the sentimonster attack. Still, there was a flurry of activity inside as people tried to piece the grand opening back together. He found who he was looking for, brooding in a corner, watching over the store from the rim of her glasses.

"Nathalie," he panted, "could you tell me the phone number of the model that was… let go… earlier today?"

"Why?" Nathalie said, narrowing her eyes at Adrien.

"Uh… well, I was going to smooth things over. We can't afford her going to the press, can we?"

She glared but flipped through her tablet until she found the appropriate information. Adrien wrote the number on his hand (which made Nathalie _really _glare) and ran to his dressing room and pulled out the untraceable silver phone.

"Hello?" she said tentatively.

"Hey, this is Chat Noir, we met earlier today, remember?" She screamed. Apparently she remembered. "I hope those pictures are just the thing you need to launch the next step in your modeling career. I was wondering if you might be willing to do me a favor…"

"Y-yeah!" she stammered.  
"It's just that we've never fought in London before… or anywhere besides Paris. Could you tell me… how'd the sentimonster come to you?"  
"Oh Chat Noir," she spilled, "I'm so sorry, I was just so angry about that _girl_ and being fired, I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

"I know," he said, trying his hardest to console her, "I know. For a year now, I've been fighting alongside Ladybug in Paris, and never once have we helped someone who wanted to be a villain. Hawkmoth has a horrible way of targeting people when they're at their lowest. This wasn't your fault. We don't blame you, not a bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Paw-sitive."

She laughed, then tentatively started, "It wasn't Hawkmoth. At least, I don't think it was. I'm not from Paris, but from what I've seen on the news, it was different. I was getting stitched up at the first aid station and then went to collect my things, since that nasty woman had just fired me. I was in the dressing room, alone, and someone moved in the corner. She wore a mask, but she told me that she would give me something that would make me powerful enough to get revenge on those who had wronged me. I didn't want to hurt anyone! I just was so upset. She gave me this set of keys and all I could think about was that girl who had pushed me and it was like all my frustration and anger was sucked from me into those keys, and then it was impossible to stop. I can't thank you enough for convincing me to hand over the keys."

"Anytime," Adrien responded. "Could you tell me anything more about the person who gave you the keys? What did she look like?"

"She was… shorter. Younger. Maybe a teenager? Light blue dress with a low-cut neckline and a fan that she used to cover her face. She had really long hair and a tall plume of feathers on her head, kind of like a…"

"Peacock?"

"Yeah."

"Did she tell you her name?"

"Yes, she said it was 'Jeune Paonne.' I'm sorry, I really don't have more information than that."

"It's ok," Adrien said, "that's really helpful."

They bid farewell and ended the call. Adrien immediately tried to call Ladybug, but she didn't answer her phone. He realized he should have texted first to make sure she was in a safe place to talk openly. He texted her instead:

**Kitty: I went back and talked to our model friend and got some important info. Call me when you can.**

Adrien wiped the smile off his face and stashed the phone away before returning to the busy store. Nathalie dictated his updated itinerary. They would be touring Oxford tomorrow, a runway event in Birmingham tomorrow night… and the list continued. Adrien only half listened, expecting his phone to vibrate any moment with Ladybug's call.

However, she didn't call. Eventually they loaded the limousines and took Adrien and Lila back to the hotel for the night. Adrien raced back to his room and pulled out his phone. There was nothing from Ladybug, but AkumaAlert had been triggered. Thoroughly panicked, he pulled the hexagonal box from his bag and put the sunglasses on.

* * *

"No, no, no!" Sabine screamed as she tore up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom. She threw the trap door open and watched in horror as the little purple butterfly lodged into the silver cellphone that she had clutched to her heart. Sabine dove on Marinette and ripped the cellphone from her hands just in time to feel the cold wash over her hands and body.

_What is this? _A cruel voice spoke in her head, _A mother, desperate to save her daughter? This is not the victim I intended, but can use nonetheless. Mommadon, I am Hawkmoth._

* * *

Marinette bolted upright as her mother barreled into her room and pounced on her, ripping her phone from her hands. She looked at the phone and recognized the black transformation. "No, maman, no! You've got to fight it! You can't give in! Oh maman, I'm so sorry!" Her mother was shaking, struggling to fight off Hawkmoth's presence in her mind.

But it was no use. Sabine crumpled with a toneless, "Yes, Hawkmoth," and was overwhelmed in black and purple. Nasty pterodactyl-like wings sprouted from her back as she was turned into a scaly monster. "I will find who hurt my daughter, and destroy him," she growled. Marinette was slammed into the wall of her room as Mommadon unfurled her wings and ripped a hole through the ceiling. Pain tore through her back. She could hear the screams of the people on the street below as she struggled to get to her feet.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette cried. If only the miraculous magic helped her heal from wounds inflicted before transformation… but Ladybug suppressed her grimace and carefully climbed through the hole in her ceiling and stealthily swung behind the bakery to make sure she would approach from a different angle than her home. Mommadon was perched on top of the fountain in the park, sending out big radiating waves of energy from the phone in her hand.

"Come to me, whoever broke my daughter's heart!" she yelled. It became clear to Ladybug that the energy was acting as a lightning rod—attracting whoever might have hurt Marinette. Without her phone to call Chat Noir, Ladybug felt alone and afraid. But she took a deep breath, steeled herself against the pain in her back and in her heart, and swung into action.

She managed to hook her yo-yo around one of Mommadon's wings. Mommadon flexed it, which turned the yo-yo into a slingshot and Ladybug was rocketed in to the sky. Ladybug reeled her yo-yo back in and threw it again to stop her fall. She swung back toward Mommadon and aimed a kick at her hand that was clutching the cellphone. Ladybug was able to connect and the phone went flying, but Ladybug's momentum was too great and she landed several meters away. The phone skidded across the pavement. Mommadon pounced at the same time Ladybug did and the two wrestled for the akuma-enhanced phone. Mommadon won the prize and launched herself into the sky. "So, he's not in Paris? Interesting," Mommadon crowed. Ladybug hooked her yo-yo to Mommadon's foot and was dragged upward with her mother. She managed to grab the top of a tree with one hand before leaving Earth forever, and Ladybug pulled the yo-yo with all her might. It slammed Mommadon into the ground. Spluttering and angry, Ladybug and Mommadon engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

"Give up the phone and nobody needs to get hurt!" Ladybug screamed.

"I won't hurt you," Mommadon growled, which took Ladybug by surprise. "I only care about the person who broke my daughter's heart!"

A glowing butterfly appeared over Mommadon's face and she grabbed her head as if hearing Hawkmoth's voice was actually causing her pain.

Ladybug took advantage of the brief respite and called, "Lucky Charm!" She deftly caught a long wooden baker's peel.

"I…don't…want…to…" Mommadon grunted against Hawkmoth's control. Ladybug had never seen someone fight against Hawkmoth this valiantly. It made her heart swell.

"Don't give into him!" Ladybug called to her as she looked around, desperately searching for how to use her lucky charm. When she looked toward the bakery, she could see her father standing outside the door, covered in flour. He stood out to her. "Mr. Dupain! Take this!" she screamed and hurled the peel in his direction. He came barreling forward, brandishing the peel like a sword.

Mommadon was still fighting Hawkmoth's control when she saw Tom running straight at her. "No!" she cried, "I won't fight my husband! I love him!" As she hesitated again, Ladybug aimed her yo-yo at the cellphone, which flew into the air. Ladybug jumped and caught the phone mid-summersault. She slammed her fist into the screen and the tiny black akuma escaped. Ladybug caught and purified it, then smiled at her Father, who had dropped the peel in exchange for a trembling Sabine Cheng. One "Miraculous Ladybug!" later, Ladybug collapsed in a heap with her parents. They wrapped their arms around her.

"Ladybug, thank you for helping me," Sabine said. "I didn't want to fight for Hawkmoth. But I would take a thousand akumas to protect my daughter."

"I know you would," Ladybug sighed. "You're the best parents in the world."

They raised their eyebrows at the superhero. She just smiled at them, then swung away. She dropped her transformation as she landed stealthily on the roof of the bakery. After quietly climbing to her balcony, Marinette called to her parents below. They waved at her and ran back to the bakery.

The physical exhaustion of facing a sentimonster in London and then an akuma on her own all in one day fell on Marinette like a ton of bricks. Her back still ached from being slammed into the wall. And her heart was still broken. She looked at the silver phone still in her hand. She knew she should tell Chat what happened, but she couldn't bear to hear hurt in his voice. Her mother knocked on her door and entered quietly. She didn't talk, just sat next to her and put her arms around her daughter and held her tenderly.

Fifteen long, love-filled minutes passed in silence. At last, Marinette was ready to ask the question she knew she must ask. "Maman, do you think anyone will ever love me?"

Her mother stayed quiet for a moment more as she gathered her thoughts, then spoke with wisdom and love, "I know what you want me to say. You want me to give you a big huge 'oh yes of course someone will!' And I could say that. It would be true. But that's not what you need to hear.

"Marinette, there's only one person I know of who doesn't love you the way they should."

Marinette came up short, "What? Who?"

"You, dear. I wish I could be a mirror, just for a moment, so you could see what I see. You are brave, you are smart, you are a fierce friend, talented, creative, thoughtful, and _so _passionate. Every time you put away your worries, this incredible heroine emerges that has saved more than one heart from despair. If you ever realized just how wonderful you are, Ladybug could retire.

"Hawkmoth's cruelest trick is that he feeds our disappointments and fears. He wants you to believe that he's got the only solution to your problems. But he doesn't. His promises are lies. Don't you _dare_ let Hawkmoth—or anyone—convince you that you're not worthy of love.

_"You _are brave. _You _are strong. _You _will find the solution to all your concerns and you will thrive. I'm the luckiest mother ever, because I get to see you every day. I love you so much, Marinette. How can I help you learn to love yourself?"

Marinette smiled through the tears coursing down her cheeks and hugged her mother tightly. "You just did, Maman."

* * *

The bakery had been closed for an hour when an urgent knock made Tom Dupain race for the door. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here this late?" he gasped.

"Is everything ok?" he asked with an edge of panic to his voice. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help Ladybug with Mrs. Cheng earlier today… I was… indisposed…"

Tom smiled and hugged Chat Noir inside the welcoming little shop. "We're fine, thanks to Ladybug. And myself."

Sabine and Marinette came running into the room at the same time, Marinette asking, "Dad, who is it?" and then gasping when she saw Chat Noir.

"I was just checking in," he replied sheepishly.

Marinette recovered quickly, "You've got to stop surprising us."

"Heavens no, we want you to surprise us," Tom boomed.

"Yes," Sabine chortled, "the only solution is for you to come more often, so that we won't be so shocked when you do come."

Chat smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. Once again, the Dupain-Cheng family had made him feel loved. It was so effortless for them, and so unfamiliar to him, that he wished he could stay here forever. But all the love exuding from each of them made him curious… how could Mrs. Cheng be akumatized? "Well," Chat began, "I just saw that you'd had an encounter with an akuma and I wanted to make sure everyone was alright."

Sabine started, "Yes, yes, but Ladybug made sure we were just fine—"

"No, Maman," a blushing Marinette responded, "this one was on me. The akuma was meant for me; Maman saved me by taking the hit." She looked at her mother with that blazing look of pure love that only Marinette could muster.

Chat looked quietly from Sabine to Tom, then back to Marinette. "Do you… want to talk about it?" he asked her quietly.

Marinette looked at that fluffy blonde head and warm green eyes. "That would be wonderful," she replied.

Of course, Tom and Sabine magically produced a huge platter of amazing treats for Chat Noir and Marinette, and sent them up to Marinette's balcony. Once they were settled in, Chat looked at his hands mournfully. "You must hate me for not coming to help your mother today."

"What? No, Ladybug told me you had to be somewhere else."

"Still, I should have been here. It's my duty to protect Paris."

To his surprise, she rolled her eyes. "Chat, I didn't invite you up here to have a pity-party. Come here," she said, patting the edge of the chaise she was seated on. He sat next to her. She reached a hand slowly up to his face and asked quietly, "May I?" he nodded. She let her fingers run through his blond mane and he let out and unexpected purr. She laughed her beautiful musical laugh. "_That_'s why I invited you up here. Just for that alone."

He glared at her playfully, but put his head in her lap and gave in to his cat side. She stroked his hair and he purred for several minutes. "So, do you want to tell me what happened?" He whispered.

"You'll think I'm totally ridiculous."

"Try me."

"It was… a boy."

"Why would that make you ridiculous?"

"Because," Marinette started slowly, "it's not like I have any right to feel so hurt by him. I mean, I've never even been able to tell him I love him. So, hearing he's in love with someone else shouldn't be that big of a deal."

He shrugged, "I don't know, I'd say that's a pretty big deal."

Marinette hated herself for giving him the experience implied in that sentence. "I'm sorry you know how that feels." She dug her fingers deeper into his soft hair and his purring intensified.

"It's alright, we're working through that," he responded quietly. "Some days we're so close it feels like maybe she's going to change her mind." Marinette suppressed a gasp. So, he'd noticed the conflict as well. "Then, a day like today comes along and it feels like we're rookie acquaintances again."

"I'm so sorry," Marinette whispered, trying to let Ladybug speak to Chat's heart directly. "Today was pretty lousy, wasn't it."

"The worst."

They sat there for a moment while their mutual heartbreak throbbed. Then Marinette stood suddenly and proclaimed, "You know what? This day isn't over yet. Let's go do something to turn it around."

"What…like what?" Chat asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well," she said, eyeballing the platter of goodies her parents had given them, "how about finding a better purpose for _those _than just the emotional eating I am really tempted to do?"

He looked at the stacks of untouched pastries and back at her adorable smile, and said, "Great idea, _Purrincess._"

* * *

With Chat's strong arms and fast legs, and Marinette's baskets of pastries (her parents had insisted that they take all the leftovers from that day) and impressive knowledge of the back alleys of Paris, the next two hours flew by as they shared pastries with the all the homeless, harried, or lonely people they could find. Marinette would tell Chat where to go, he would vault them there on his baton, then she would give him a small box of pastries and he would go deliver them with a smile.

"Thank you, Chat Noir!" a grizzled homeless woman said to him, her eyes watering with gratitude. "Look kids, look what Chat Noir brought us!" she called to two children who were trying to sleep on a park bench.

"Wait, you've got kids?" he gasped. "Take another couple boxes. In fact," he said, reaching into a pocket of his Chat suit and extracting several Euros, "take this as well."

The children and the woman were flabbergasted, "Chat Noir, _thank you. Thank you. Thank you." _He had to pry himself away from them several minutes later, because they weren't slowing down in their praise.

Marinette was smiling from ear to ear when he went back to her. "Did you know that there's homeless _kids_ out here?" he asked.  
She nodded. "This world can be cruel."

They met a group of teens that looked like they might be looking for trouble, but when Chat Noir presented them with boxes of pastries, they couldn't stop asking for selfies and calling him the "Coolest cat in all of Paris."

Chat Noir gave a toddler a piggy-back ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower so a young mom could use the restroom in peace.

In the cemetery, they found a man who was kneeling in tears by a small grave. They didn't say much to him, just gave him the box and flanked his sides and cried with him.

The boxes eventually ran out and Marinette and Chat Noir walked along the banks of the Seine, glowing in the joy of service. "Marinette, thank you," he whispered huskily.

"For what, Chat?"

"For teaching me what it's like to be a hero."

"Chat, you've always been a hero."

"Not like this, I haven't."

She smiled at him. He'd never noticed the way her nose wrinkled when she smiled. She slipped her hand into his and he wove their fingers together. They found their way to Marinette's house and Chat used his baton to lift her to her balcony.

"Well, goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight," he responded. But their hands refused to let go. Her cheeks were slightly pink and he could count the freckles on her nose. Her eyelashes fluttered softly. He brought a thumb to her cheek and gently brushed her hair back. She tilted her head into his touch. They moved together slowly, silently, until, at last, his lips softly touched hers.

Marinette let the kiss linger for just a moment before slowly stepping back. They looked at each other peacefully. Their hearts seemed to know what the other was saying. "My mom is right," Marinette finally whispered, "you _do _need to come around more often."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Marinette jabbed the punching bag and balanced her weight on her toes. Left-right-left-right, uppercut, left hook, left-right-left-right, right hook, roundhouse kick. She stepped back and let Alya take her turn.

"He called you out of the blue and said he was coming to get you right then? What did you do?" she gasped at Marinette's story.

"I bolted upstairs while transforming and met him on the roof. I later covered for that by telling him I was picking up a costume from Marinette… well, from myself."

"A costume?" Alya panted through her boxing.  
"Well, yeah. I'd kind of, sort of, made Chat a Chat costume. You know, something that he could wear as a disguise, even if he wasn't transformed?"

"You did _what?" _Alya said with a belly laugh. She had to stop boxing and laugh for a second.

"Well, ever since that sentimonster attack on the last day of school and seeing Mayura not-transformed, I felt like it might be a smart idea to have a backup costume. So I made one for Chat."  
"And then you told him yesterday that you had made one for Ladybug as well?"

"Yeah."

"But have you?"

"I… will…"

Alya rolled her eyes, still laughing. "Oh girl, you are too funny! But go on, you went with him to… Madrid was it?"

"No, it was London," Marinette reminded her. "There was a sentimonster attacking the new _Gabriel _store in Sloane Square. Chat was great—he talked the girl down and she handed over the amok. I've never seen him do something like that. But I'd used my lucky charm so it was time to go home."

Marinette swapped Alya at the punching bag. She told Alya all about her conversation with Chat Noir, how close she was to telling him her identity, his reason for being in London, and coming home determined to corroborate his story.

"So, I pulled up _Paris Teen Weekly _to see if I could spot him."

"Oh no, you didn't. Please tell me you didn't see that press conference." Marinette hung her head. "Girl, what were you thinking? What if you'd actually recognized him? Then you'd know his identity!"

Marinette hadn't thought of that before. She tugged a pigtail and blushed. "Well, it doesn't matter because he wasn't there, or at least not one of the reporters asking questions."

"But you still saw that bit from Adrien, huh," Alya said.

Marinette punched the bag faster and harder while giving a quick nod.

"Dang. No wonder that akuma had it out for you."

"Thank goodness my mom intervened. The last time an akuma got close, I had one earring out before the akuma just went away. I'm still not sure what happened that time. I swore to myself I'd never let one take over me again… that's why we're training so hard, that's why I meditate every morning and night, that's why I've been working so hard on emotional control… but I couldn't handle it. When Adrien said he was in love with someone else, and I knew it wasn't Kagami or myself, I just crumbled."

Alya pulled her away from the punching bag just long enough to give her a little hug. "And then you were faced with the horrible experience of battling your own mother."

Marinette nodded. "And I couldn't even call my partner because the dumb akuma was in my phone."

Alya gave a little smirk before returning to the punching bag. "How'd you explain that one?"

"I didn't. He didn't ask, so I didn't have to come up with some terrible excuse again."

"So after the battle—I saw _that _on the news—is that when you saw Chat, but as Marinette?"

Marinette nodded. (It was her "I saw Chat yesterday, as Marinette" that had prompted this conversation.) "He had seen the AkumaAlert, and came to check on my mom. I told him that the akuma had been meant for me and that she'd saved me from it, so we talked on my balcony for a little bit."

Alya noticed the way Marinette's voice softened there at the end, so she raised an eyebrow. "You… talked on your balcony?"

"Yeah…"

Because Alya was a very perceptive best friend, she pressed, "And then what did you do?"

"Well, we were both feeling pretty down, so I suggested we take some of the bakery's leftovers out to people in need. So we took Chat's baton on a good-will tour of Paris."

"So _that's_ what all those selfies with Chat Noir popping up all night were about."

She smiled and shrugged.

"There's more, isn't there." Marinette smiled and blushed. Alya's eyes popped. "Wait, there _is! What did you do?"_

"He… took me home, we said goodnight, we were both on this serious service high, it felt so good to be with a friend that doesn't have this history of breaking each other's hearts… it was such a beautiful night…"  
"MARINETTE!"

"He kissed me."

"SAY WHAT?" Marinette laughed and moved to the speed bag. "What about Adrien? What about Chat's thing for Ladybug? What about any of that?"

Marinette shrugged, "I don't know. It wasn't that kind of kiss. It was tender and sweet, simple and pure. It just felt right."

"Are you in love with him?"

"I've been asking myself that question all night. The honest truth is, I don't know. I love being with him. He and I, that is, Ladybug, have gotten so close to each other, but there's a different side he reserves for me, that is, Marinette. We can talk about anything, we find the same things funny, we're more alike than I ever thought. Of course, Adrien still takes my breath away, but last night, when I was with Chat, it was like all of that was gone. No, more like all of that was fulfilled; like he was the other piece of my heart that was missing. When he and I are together, I feel complete." Seeing Alya's remaining skepticism, Marinette added, "I won't say that's really _in love,_ because it's so different than what I feel about Adrien."

Alya laughed. "I dunno girl, that sounds a lot like love to me."

Marinette blushed but held her ground, "Call it whatever you want; I know what my heart is telling me, and that is to not overcomplicate this relationship like I did with Adrien. With Chat, I want to get it right."

Alya took off her boxing gloves and gave Marinette a hug. "That's a good plan."

* * *

"You're awfully chipper this morning," Lila groaned as she plopped next to Adrien at the hotel breakfast table.

"What can I say, London agrees with me."

She rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. She wrinkled her nose. "Gosh, they can't even get _coffee _right," she huffed as her stomach growled.

"You should try the beans," he smiled as he took a bite of beans on toast with fried egg. "I know it sounds weird, but it's really great."

She side-eyed his heaping plate of food. "How can you eat that stuff?"

He shrugged, "I just put it in my mouth, chew, and then swallow. It's always worked for me."

She didn't laugh. Nathalie marched toward the two of them, as stiff as ever. "Our driver would like to leave in thirty minutes. Make sure you empty your room entirely. And Adrien," she said, glaring at his plate of breakfast, "promise me you'll still fit into your runway attire."

Even her body-shaming comments couldn't dampen his spirits today. He took a big bite of hashbrowns and smiled at her. "Will do, Miss N!" Her eyebrows flew to her forehead, but she just stomped off. Adrien swallowed and turned to Lila, "You know, there are other options besides just beans on toast. There's fresh bread, yogurt, fruit, cheese…"

She scowled. "Ew."

"Sounds like _someone _woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he laughed.

"Bite me." A yawn betrayed her. "Some of us take our model training more seriously than others." He clutched his chest in feigned hurt. "I had some… training… to accomplish last night. I didn't get to bed until late. Thank goodness I can sleep in the car."

"Yeah, I had a late night too."

"We came back to the hotel pretty early… what were you up to?" He grinned cryptically. "On second thought I don't think I want to know. Probably up half the night making up details about your fake girlfriend." Lila pinched the bridge of her nose.

He laughed and dove back into his breakfast.

An hour later, they sped down the motorway. Lila was right about sleeping in the car—not five minutes had passed when her head was lolling around and soft snores were emanating from her seat. With a couple hours of driving ahead of them and Nathalie up front with the driver, Adrien decided it was safe to pull out his silver cellphone and check in with Ladybug. He'd written her an extensive message with all the details of his conversation with the model girl before getting in the limo, and she had replied:

**Milady: great work! Thank you for talking to her. **

Adrien started to type a response about how tired Lila was that morning and how she had admitted that she was up late 'training,' but he deleted it. There was no way Chat Noir should have that information if he was a mere reporter. He'd nearly blown it on the StarTrain when he'd told Ladybug how Lila was seated next to him. Instead, he decided to change the topic.

**Kitty: You know Marinette Dupain-Cheng, right?**

**Milady: …sort of… **

**Kitty: do you have her phone number? **

**Milady:… why…**

**Kitty: I saw her mom got akumatized so I went to check on them last night. Btw y didn't u call me**

**Milady: phone got damaged during the battle. I'm sorry Chat I really wanted to**

**Kitty: Damaged? Is it ok? Are you ok?**

**Milady: would I be able to text you if my phone was still damaged? **

**Kitty: haha I guess not**

**Milady: miraculous fixed it. It was brutal without you, just fyi**

**Kitty: sorry I couldn't be there**

**Milady: you're forgiven. If you can forgive me.**

**Kitty: of course. Always.**

**Milady: so… you went to visit Marinette last night?**

**Kitty: yeah. And don't be mad, ok?**

**Milady: we've already established I'm not going to get upset w/u**

**Kitty: she was pretty down, so we talked for a while, and then we took the leftover bakery goods from the day out to people all over Paris. It was great. I just wanted to tell her thanks for a wonderful night.**

**Milady: That's… super cute.**

**Milady: *COOL dumb autocorrect**

**Kitty: haha**

**Milady: And that also explains why all the newspapers are going bonkers today about u**

**Milady: I was wondering **

Adrien quickly checked the Paris news apps, and sure enough, most had a front-page blurb about Chat Noir's mysterious night of philanthropy. He smiled as he thumbed through them. A minute later, Ladybug texted him Marinette's phone number. He of course could have grabbed it from his civilian cellphone, but he didn't want to explain how he'd gotten her number as Chat.

**Kitty: Thanks LB**

**Kitty: also, I was thinking that since Lila and I are here in London at the same time, I should do some ground work. See what she's up to and stuff**

**Milady: oooh be careful**

**Milady: but that's a really good idea**

**Kitty: be careful? Moi? Aren't I always?**

**Milady: that's what I'm worried about**

She sent him a gif of a black cat getting scared by a cucumber. He snorted so loudly that Lila stirred in her seat.

* * *

Texting was great. Phone calls were better. But after a few days of spending his waking hours being carted around and put on display next to Lila, Adrien was going out of his mind. He desperately needed a decent conversation with a decent human being. He tried to remember how he felt when he was helping people as Chat Noir, but the feeling was fading faster than he wanted. He looked over his schedule—there was several hours of free time ahead of him to prepare for a big gala that evening… so he planned his escape.

**SuperChat: Hey, what u doing?**

**Purrincess: practicing**

**SuperChat: practicing what?**

**Purrincess: wouldn't u like to know**

**SuperChat: yes I would**

**Purrincess: what if I said it was something really mean?**

**SuperChat: you can't even think up something really mean as an example. That text took u like eight minutes to write**

**Purrincess: haha**

**Purrincess: Fencing.**

**SuperChat: Really? **

**Purrincess: it's a new development**

**SuperChat: so, you must be at the gym then… **

**Purrinces: yeah… so?**

**Purrincess: Chat?**

**Purrincess: Chat, what are you doing?**

"Just saying hi," he said right into her ear. She screamed and jumped two feet into the air. Her pink phone went flying, which he snatched out of the air while simultaneously scooping her waist in his arm and setting her gently back on the bench where she'd been perched with her towel and water bottle. Chat picked up her foil and tossed it back and forth between his hands. "So, you've taken up fencing, eh?"

She was still gawking. "When I said you should come around more often, I didn't mean you could just randomly pop up out of the blue."

He laughed, "But your reaction was so priceless!"

She stuck out her tongue at him and faux pouted. "One of these days I'm going to get you back."

"And I look forward to watching you try. Until then, care for a round?"

She stood up and stretched a bit, sizing him up. "I remember some of the footage of you dueling Riposte and Dark Knight. You're no novice, are you."

He raised his eyebrows and gave a smug little grin. "You've been watching my footage? Well, aren't you just as cute as a kitten."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a second foil. "Engarde!"

Marinette was _way _better than Chat had expected. Aided by her feather-light footwork, she landed some impressive touches. Chat Noir was actually having to dig deep into Adrien's fencing training to stay ahead of her. After three nine-minute rounds, Chat eventually made his fifteenth touch as opposed to her twelve, and the two bowed to each other and took off their masks. She was sweating and her pigtails were askew. "I demand a rematch!" she shouted.

"Already?" Chat fake yawned. "I didn't think you'd be so eager to add to your mew-sery!"

"Oh, not at fencing… that's hardly fair—I'm just a beginner, and you've got super agility."

"Which I didn't use!" he countered, but when her hands fell on her hips and her eyes narrowed into those freckled cheeks, he added, "_much._"

She thought for a second. "Do you ever play _Ultimate Mecha Strike III?" _ His eyes lit up. "Ok, give me a few minutes to change."

An hour later in the Dupain-Cheng living room, Marinette did a victory dance, pirouetting on one toe and then sliding into the dab and shouting, "That's how you do it, Marinette-style!"

Chat pretended to be affronted, but she was too cute to keep up the act. He started laughing. "Alright, I'll admit it, you're better than me."

"That's right. Don't you forget it."

"So I won fencing, you took video games… what's going to be the tie breaker?"

Marinette plopped down on the couch beside him and tapped her lips in thought. "Well, I know I'd kick your tail basically anything you can't cheat at."  
"Cheat? Moi?"

She laughed. "I dunno, Chat, what are your hobbies? You know, that don't benefit from super strength."

"So apparently bench-pressing cars is out…" She laughed again. He loved making her laugh. "Um, let me think…" She slipped her hand into his. "That's not fair, you're distracting me." She squeezed it. "You're _really_ distracting me." She put her free hand at the base of his neck and scratched very lightly. He couldn't stop the purr that escaped from his chest.

"Ha ha!" she yelled triumphantly, "I win again!"

He shook his head and leaned into her touch and let his purr deepen, "I beg to differ." She quieted, but didn't stop scratching his neck. After a few moments of silence, he asked with a more serious tone, "Is this ok?" He held up their entwined hands.

She took a slow breath, but didn't pull away, "I'm not making any promises, Kitty. But I really like being with you."

He relaxed into her shoulder. "So, you're not… feeling…" he had no clue where this sentence was headed.

"Can we just enjoy some time getting to know each other and not make it a complicated thing?"

"Are you sure you're ok with that? Because if you want to date, I would do that; it's just hard with this mask on."

"Chat, just because we kissed once doesn't mean we have to be boyfriend and girlfriend." He let out a small sigh of relief. The time Adrien had kissed Kagami, she'd immediately expected him to publicly announce their relationship. "Can we just try this on for size for a bit?"

He nodded gently. "Piano."

"Hm?"

"You asked me what my hobbies were that don't require super strength. I like to play the piano."

"Interesting… come on," she said as she dragged him off the couch by their entwined hands. "I've _got _to see this in action."

"Oh no, what've you got in mind?"

"There's a public piano at Trocadero."

Chat flashed one of his brilliant model smiles, scooped her up and jumped out the window. She snuggled against him as he pole vaulted over buildings toward Trocadero. He realized how comfortable it was—he'd carried plenty of people in his time as Chat, but they typically yelped or shied away from him, but Marinette didn't let out as much as a squeak and almost seemed to enjoy the flying sensation.

There was already a large crowd milling around Trocadero when they arrived, including quite a few friends from school. Chat was about to wave, when he remembered that he was in costume. Marinette, however, had no such restriction, so she said hi to Mylene and Ivan, Rose, Juleka, and Luka, who were out enjoying the hot summer day. Marinette was about through with greetings when Rose saw Chat Noir standing back a few feet. "Wait, did you come with _Chat Noir?_"

"Oh, yeah," Marinette stammered, blushing furiously. "He's going to try to show me up."

Rose looked baffled, but Chat used that as his cue to step forward and put his hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Show up the most talented girl in all of Paris?" (She blushed again—and Chat smirked) "Im-_paw-_ssible." Everyone laughed.

Marinette grabbed his hand and marched him to the public piano and pushed him to the bench. "Oh no you don't," he laughed, "if I'm going to show you up, you've got to play too." He scootched down and grabbed her hand to pull her next to him.

"Wait, no, I really don't play…"

He whispered in her ear, "Just play the black keys. It'll be fine, I swear." He started an upbeat blues riff on the lower half of the piano, and immediately gave a little barking laugh. "Ha! I've never played with claws before!" She smiled at his reaction to the feel of the keys through his gloved hands. When he'd finished his introduction, he counted off the beat to her and she joined in, sticking to the black keys just like he'd instructed. She was amazed at how good it sounded. She stuck to just a few notes at first, then got more inventive, mixing up rhythms and playing several keys at a time. He kept chugging away, watching her hands rather than his own, head bobbing to the beat of the music. He followed her lead to intensify the dynamics and then relax a bit, give and take, push and pull, until he whispered, "stand up!" in her ear and then kicked the bench out from underneath them. They pounded into the piano for several more chords, until at last it felt like the right time to end. Chat wrapped up the duet neatly with a huge glissando and rumbling bass finale. They finished laughing together.

Chat was so engrossed in the playing the piano that he hadn't noticed the crowd form around them, so he literally jumped when they burst out in deafening applause. Marinette was blushing furiously but stepped back and made Chat accept the accolades on his own. He quickly recovered, though, and started giving grandiose bows, then grabbed Marinette's hand and she curtsied sweetly.

"You win," she laughed as the crowd kept cheering, "you're more talented than me."

"Ah no," he responded, "that was definitely a tie."

Finally, when the crowd quit taking pictures and let Marinette and Chat Noir slink away, he walked her home. Somehow, their hands found each other.

"So, uh, Marinette, I never got to thank you for the Chat suit you made me," he said.

"Oh, yeah, well, Ladybug helped a lot. I never could have gotten your measurements without her."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you spend a lot of time with Ladybug?"

Marinette shrugged and slowly replied, "Not a _lot,_ but she did commission the outfits, so I guess it's been more often recently."

He thought about that for a moment, then continued, "Do you think you could conveniently _not mention_ that I was here today? I mean," he hastily added when he saw Marinette's eyes widen, "I don't think she'd be angry that I needed a break from… where I was… but I think she'd be sad to know I was here and didn't say hi."

"Whatever you want, Chat. But I think she'll probably notice you were here… there were quite a few cameras out, both at the gym and Trocadero."  
"Hm… maybe I should try to call her, see if she's around…" he checked his baton phone. "Oh shoot, is that the time?"  
"Oh no, I've kept you too late," Marinette fretted, "I'm sorry, Chat. I didn't want to get you in trouble."

He looked at the furrow in her brow and rubbed his finger into it gently. "You have nothing to apologize for, Marinette."

She dug her toe into the ground and dropped her chin, "I just… know this must be hard for you—living two lives, always having unwanted attention, not being able to have friends or people to talk to as Chat Noir, the isolation and loneliness that must come from the mask… I don't want to make your life any harder than it already is."

"Marinette," he sighed, gently cupping her chin in his hand, "you do _not _make my life harder. In fact, just the opposite. With you, I can be truly myself. It's… liberating." A little smile curled the edge of her lips. They were so cute and inviting, Chat couldn't help but lean in and reinforce his feelings with a second kiss.

She seemed more prepared for it this time; she leaned up on her tiptoes to reach him easier and slipped her hand through his hair. The kiss deepened, but then she unexpectedly stepped back and pulled away from him. Her fingers flew to cover her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm sorry, Marinette, was that too much?"

She shook her head, "It's not your fault, Chat. I'm just not totally sure if I'm over…"

"The idiot who broke your heart?"

She scowled with her eyes still closed, "He's not an idiot; but yes. I'm sorry. I don't want this to be complicated or awkward."

He rubbed her shoulder gently. "I know. I'm not so sure what I want either… but one thing I know for sure is that I don't want to hurt you. You're very special to me, Marinette. No matter what happens, with jerkface _or _Ladybug, I need you to know how special and wonderful you are, and how much I care about you."

"And I care about you too, very much. I just want you to be happy."

"You make me happier than anyone I've ever met."

She finally dropped her hands again and revealed a smile. She threw her arms around his strong shoulders and kissed him through the hug. "You make me happy too, Chat. We'll figure this all out as we go along, right?" He nodded. "Now, you head on home."

He didn't move right away, but slowly took her hand, brushed his lips to her knuckles, in a bow, and said, "Farewell, my Purrincess."

"Farewell, you silly thing."

* * *

"Adrien," Plagg moaned in delight from his hotel minifridge, "you've _got_ to try this one. It's a goat cheese from the Cotswolds; they washed the rind in caramel."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Ok, Plagg, just a bite."

Plagg brought Adrien a tiny piece of cheese. "But you'd better appreciate it—I'm warning you—"

Adrien laughed. He took a tiny bite and felt the crystalline structure of a finely aged cheese yield to his teeth. He looked out the corner of his eye at his kwami and they both nodded slowly in appreciation.

"I knew it. I knew you were the best owner ever."

Adrien poked his kwami in the stomach. "You can keep your camembert, though."

Adrien was contemplating a night time excursion back to Paris to refill his macaron supply when his silver phone buzzed. He pulled it out and checked it. "Oh, oh," he gasped, "the tracker is working. Plagg, Lila's on the move." Plagg nodded his consent and Adrien quietly punched the air with a, "Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir climbed out of the hotel window in order to avoid the hotel security cameras. He checked his phone. Lila was heading downstairs to the main entrance. It was dark outside—close to midnight—there was no reason she should be heading out except for some kind of trouble. He pounced silently on the roof of the hotel entrance and pressed his body flat. Lila exited the hotel, climbed into a waiting limousine, and started to pull away. He did a quick flip off the roof and followed the limousine as it drove to the outskirts of Birmingham and an empty warehouse. He hid in the shadows when Lila got out. This certainly wasn't a great place to find some night life. A large door slid open and Lila walked inside. Chat slunked to the side of the building and found a window higher up that he could fit through. He used his baton to lift himself and peered through the window, making sure there was nobody that would see him if he gave it a try. The window wasn't locked, as it was over two stories off the ground, so he pushed it open and slid inside. He crawled through a maze of old equipment debris until he came to the edge of a loft that opened to a big warehouse floor below. Lila was being frisked by a woman Chat immediately recognized as strange-Mayura.

"What's this?" Mayura hissed.

"It's a keychain Adrien gave me. Ugly, I know. But I thought it was a good step forward. You _do _still want me to get close to him, right?"

Mayura gave the keychain back to Lila and she stowed it in her pocket. "Of course. Although I do admit he's being difficult. I don't know why… every other teenage boy wouldn't have been able to ignore that number I put you in at the gala last night." Chat wrinkled his nose. Lila's dress last night had barely covered her underwear. It was _not _alluring, just disgusting.

"Well, if you want me to get close to him, you're going to have to come up with better ideas than just making me wear skimpy dresses. The boy's a block of ice. You still don't have any idea who that other girl might be?"

Mayura shook her head, "I searched his phone—nothing. No phone calls, no texts… if there _is _another girl, I don't think I'm in the right position to find out. But Adrien's just a baby when it comes to girls. Maybe you should offer to help him with her. He's gullible enough that he might just take you up on it." Lila nodded through her grimace.

"Now, _Jeune_ _Paonne_, let's get to work."

Lila sighed and took something small from Mayura's hands and fiddled with her shirt for a moment before saying, "Duusu, spread my feathers." Lila's body shimmered with transformation and was suddenly standing in a dress just like the model had described—light blue, low-cut neckline, a blue mask over her face, with a peacock feather perched on her head.

Almost instantly, Mayura started sparring with Jeune Paonne. It was clear that Mayura was far more skilled at martial arts than Lila, even without super-agility. They threw blows for a while, Mayura always hitting her intended mark, Lila rarely hitting hers.

"You haven't been practicing," Mayura sneered.

"How can I?" Lila huffed, "You've got me so busy with this stupid trip and stupid Adrien that I can't even breathe, let alone train!"

"You're making excuses. Would you like to go back to Paris then?"

Lila shook her head and started dealing blows with more dedication. Mayura still wasn't impressed. "You're so sloppy! We're never going to be able to take on Ladybug and Chat Noir unless you start trying!"

Lila growled and added her feet to her fists in a barrage of punches and kicks. Mayura bent and twisted away from them, occasionally blocking some with her hands or a return kick. "I'll just use a sentimonster then," Lila yelled in fury.

"They know how to bring sentimonsters down; it's no good if you're not ready to take them head-on. Besides, your sentimonsters are still pathetic."

"Maybe if you'd actually let me build more of them—"

"What, so you can expose yourself again? That first one just about blew everything!"

"That's what you say," Lila spat. "Chat Noir is even more gullible than Adrien—he bought the damsel-in-distress hook, line, and sinker. Besides, you've got to admit, the one in London last week was awfully impressive."

Mayura planted her feet and shook her head. "It barely got the job done. Thank goodness Hawkmoth and I were able to extrapolate the information we needed from that disaster. But that was despite your sloppy blunder, not because of it." Mayura produced a couple bo staffs from the shadow below the loft where Chat was hiding and tossed one to Lila, who started spinning it. Then, they connected and started sparring with weapons.

"Does that mean you've got a plan?" Lila questioned.

"Yes."

"Ooh, what do I do?" Lila squealed.

"You'll follow orders."

Lila frowned but kept her bow staff up to deflect a jab from Mayura, but she wasn't quite fast enough and Mayura's staff followed through to sweep Lila's left leg from underneath her. She fell on her tailbone, hard.

"Get up." Mayura growled. Lila tried but failed. _"Get up!" _

"Can I just have a quick break? Sheesh!"

"A quick break? Chat Noir's been using his staff for a year now—he's going to _decimate_ you—and you want a break?" Lila winced. "Give me the staff," Mayura spat. "You can have it back when you've earned it." Lila reluctantly threw the bo staff at Mayura's feet. "Now, sprints, to the ceiling and back again."

Lila groaned. Apparently she knew what 'sprints' were. She ran across the room, did a series of flips off of overturned boxes and equipment to reach the roof, where she hung from an exposed truss and walked her hands over each other to inch her way to the other side of the room, where she let go and did three summersaults before landing on her feet.

"Again," Mayura instructed. After five more reps of the grueling acrobatics, Mayura let Lila sit down and have a sip of water. "It's a start," was the closest thing to a compliment that passed Mayura's lips. "I still would have preferred the Tsurugi girl, but we're at least making some progress."

Lila glared at her. "You're not going to back down on your promise, right?"

Mayura laughed harshly. "Ms Rossi, there's only one liar in this room, and it is _not _me."

Lila buoyed up at that retort. "Oh, I can't _wait _to see that stupid baker girl turn to ash."

Mayura held up a finger, "Ladybug will come first. Then you can have whatever you want. But Ladybug and Chat Noir are first. Don't forget that."

Lila shrugged. "Whatever."

The two trained and dueled until the early hours of the morning but said little more of consequence. When they eventually cleaned up and Lila headed for her limousine, Chat slipped out of the window and took the fast way back to his hotel room. Even though he was flying over the rooftops of Birmingham, he pulled out his silver cell phone and dialed Ladybug.

"H-hello?" she said through a sleepy fog. Good gracious, it was two-thirty.

"Ladybug? Sorry to wake you."

"Its…ok…" she said with a yawn, and then, startling, "wait, are you ok? Where are you? Do you need to come get me?"

"I'm fine, but we seriously need to talk."

* * *

Marinette was pacing the floor in her pajamas, trying to process everything Chat Noir was saying in a rapid, breathless whisper. Lila was definitely training with Mayura. They were plotting something with Hawkmoth. Part of that plot included her seducing Adrien (though Chat had been pretty adamant that Adrien was _not _interested), and Mayura was going through Adrien's phone to find out who his mystery love was. They were training with bo staffs, lassos and grapples, and advanced martial arts.

"You're sure they didn't see you?" Marinette whispered.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's fortunate, really, that I was given the assignment of this tour," Chat admitted.

"Very fortunate. We're… incredibly fortunate," Marinette said, starting to notice her own echo, "now we have the upper hand. We know where Lila is and more or less what she's trying to do. Chat, this is _incredible. _You are wonderful!"

"Watch out, I might think you mean that."

"I _do _mean it, wholeheartedly! You've made a huge breakthrough! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said with that shy voice he only gave when truly touched. "So, how are we going to capitalize on this?"

"Well, I definitely need you to protect Adrien," she started. "He doesn't know he's being targeted."

"Can do."

"Chat, really, take good care of him. I swear, if Lila or Mayura touch one of his beautiful blonde hairs, I will rip them limb-for-limb."

"Uh… ok, I promise I'll be there for him, night and day." She took a deep breath and sighed in relief. "Hey, Ladybug, what if we let him in on it? Not on _everything,_ just that Lila is working with Hawkmoth and Mayura?"

"That's pretty risky. Do you think he'd be willing to help us out?"  
"Definitely. I mean, I don't speak for him, but I know the guy. He's… cool. I'd bet my cat bell he'd be willing to lead Lila on a bit just to get some information."

Marinette didn't like this idea one bit. "Be a double agent? Return her affections so that we can get more information? No, I can't let Adrien do something like that. He's so honest and kind… I mean, in the couple times I've met him, that is."

"I'll ask him, see what he says. As Chat, of course. He doesn't know my identity."

"Well, that's a given. Although don't think I've forgotten that I promised you one person you could tell… maybe telling Adrien who you are wouldn't be so bad. You're friends right? He's definitely trustworthy, and you could keep an eye on him from both sides of the mask."

"Yeeeeahhh…" Chat Noir hesitated over the phone. "I was… thinking about someone else..."

Marinette shrugged, even though Chat couldn't see her. "Well, it is your choice. I know you'll make the right one." She yawned and noticed the sunlight peeking through her bedroom window. "Good gracious, it's almost dawn! You've been out all night!"

As if on cue, he yawned. "Yeah, but I don't have to be at work until afternoon."

"I'll let you get some sleep, then. But seriously, thank you for… everything."

"You're welcome, Bugaboo."

She hung up the phone, but didn't go back to bed. Instead, she called her transformation on, and ran upstairs so that she could turn the velvet sky into her background. She started the video recording and carefully said, "Superheroes of Paris, we need your help."

* * *

_**Author Note: ** It's finals week! I probably won't be able to update this week, so I send my warmest regards and hopes that this chapter will be enough to tide you over until I pass all my classes. Coming soon: more random fluff, more veiled allusions, and oodles of cliffhangers. _


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Note: _**_Finals shm-inals. I needed to clear my head with some creative writing, so you get an early update. _

Chapter 8

Max didn't think he'd ever felt cooler in his life, even though he was wearing a white wig and oversized sunglasses and a brown hoodie that was much too large for him. Ladybug had apologized when she gave it to him, saying that his miraculous was so special that it was currently in use by Chat Noir, but he'd get it back soon enough. Ladybug singling him out like that had contributed to his sense of importance, as if just being in this room wasn't enough. He had wondered if he would ever get the chance to use a miraculous again after the disaster with Miracle Queen, and yet, here he was, surrounded by Carapace, Rena Rouge, King Monkey, Viperion, and Ryuko, with Ladybug at their head, being considered an _equal. _

"Thank you all for making the necessary sacrifices to be here. You've all proven why you were chosen just by coming." Ladybug smiled at them. Max hadn't had any issues decoding Ladybug's hidden message or the clues she'd dropped on where and when to arrive, but the others might have had more difficulty. "First of all, you're probably wondering where my partner is tonight. He's on a special mission, running reconnaissance, and has found out some critical information. We've discovered that Hawkmoth is training a replacement, or perhaps addition to, Mayura. What's worse, they're planning a major attack, and probably soon. There's a real possibility this attack will take place in two cities, in two countries, as we tracked Mayura and her protégé all the way to England. We know they're there right now, but we believe Hawkmoth must still be in Paris."

"_Ho. Ly__. Cow." _Max breathed louder than he intended, and everyone burst out laughing, even Ladybug.

"Yes, like Pegasus has observed, this is a serious situation. But, we know what's going on. We know who this protégé is, we know where they're at, and what they're planning. I invited you all here today so we could train a bit, learn to work together as a team, alert you of the situation, and dare I say it, plan an offensive strike of our own. I'm getting _sick and tired_ of purifying akumas; it's high time we figure out how to prevent them, once and for all!"

"Yeah!" King Monkey yelled, doing a backflip.

Over the next few hours, the heroes took turns teaching each other. Rena Rouge was a master of kickboxing and deception, and emphasized the importance of staying out of the spotlight. Carapace had an incredible knack for triage, and could quickly spot who needed help. King Monkey encouraged them all to try their super agility by initiating a dance-off. Ryuko was incredibly adept at fighting, and gave them all tips and tricks with their weapons. Viperion taught them some meditation skills and gave invaluable advice on assessing a situation before jumping into the fray. Max wasn't sure he had much to offer, but when Ladybug gave him a smile and little nod of encouragement, he showed everyone some of the technological features of their suits and weapons.

At last, Ladybug gave them a final pep-talk. "I know this was just a quick afternoon of training, and I really hope we can make it a regular thing—because it's not enough to train once… but anyway, I hope you all are feeling a little more comfortable with your miraculouses and a little more prepared for what may be coming. I've got to remind you of the importance of keeping your miraculous safe and hidden. Hawkmoth knows who you are without your masks. He will do everything in his power to hurt you, make you angry, or drive us apart. So please, take every single security precaution. Don't approach or leave your homes from the same direction twice. Don't transform anywhere there may be people. Don't wear your miraculous; keep it hidden at all times."  
"Wait," Rena Rouge interjected, "are you insinuating that you're going to let us _keep _them?"

A smile played at the corner of Ladybug's mouth. "Yes, I think so." A collective cheer started. "Just until we figure out what Hawkmoth and this new peacock are planning!" The superheroes stopped cheering, but the smiles didn't fade. "And until I get my partner back, full-time," Ladybug added in a whisper.

Ladybug had them all come in for a huge fist-bump, and then the meeting was adjourned. In order to avoid any suspicion, they de-transformed quietly and staggered their exits.

Viperion hung back. Rena Rouge gave Ladybug a quizzical look, pointing discreetly at Viperion as he shuffled around aimlessly. Ladybug just shrugged her shoulders, then indicated with a nod that Rena should head home.

"Ladybug," Viperion said quietly when he was sure they were alone, "I was wondering… could we talk?"

"Of course, Luka," she responded. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, _you_, to be honest."

Her mouth dropped open. "Uh…"

"Wait, not like that, sorry," he backpedaled. "I noticed the way you were today, how you kept making puns and looking so sad when nobody laughed at them, or how your voice had a note of sadness every time someone said 'Chat Noir.' Are you alright?"

Goodness, had she been doing that? "Yeah, of course I'm alright. I mean, I _do _miss my partner, and am worried about another akuma attack without him, but this reconnaissance mission should only last another week or so."

"Are you sure that's all?"

Ladybug nodded because she couldn't bring herself to lie out loud.

"You know he's in love with you, right? Like, really, not as a joke."

Ladybug sighed. "Yes."

"Do you know you're in love with him as well?"

"No, no no no," she said shaking her head way too quickly. "You've got it all wrong. See, we're _partners._ Our miraculouses are literally the ying-yang. Creation and destruction, light and dark, partners throughout time. Besides, he's just my silly Kitty and always will be."

His eyebrow quirked. "Your silly Kitty?"

She shrugged. "I _can't_ love him," she tried. "I'm in love with…"  
"Someone else? You sure about that?"

She was losing patience. "Y…yes…"

"Ladybug, can I give you some advice?" Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't object. "Back off."

"Excuse me what?"

"Back when I was, well, Adventurer, Chat Noir was showing signs that he was open to other options besides you. The girl he was looking at was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Then, a couple days ago, there was this:" He pulled out his phone and quickly opened a picture of Marinette and Chat pounding on a public piano. Marinette's face was alight with a smile as she studied the keys, but Chat's eyes were fixated on her. "Marinette is the sweetest, kindest, funniest girl I've ever met. I think she's interested in Chat Noir as well, but if you give Chat even a nod, he'll be at your side in a second and Marinette will be heartbroken. I can't allow that to happen. Marinette deserves a fair shot with whoever she wants."

Ladybug gaped. "Luka… that's… really, really kind of you to say. I know Marinette a bit, and, you're right, she does deserve that shot."

"So… you're not going to go after Chat?"

"I never was—" he raised an eyebrow, "—at least not intentionally. But sometimes, especially after a really tough akuma battle, it's like our hearts are beating as one. I swear I'm not trying to string him along. But he's the only person in the world who completely understands the burden of the mask."

Viperion cocked his head to a side and looked at her thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought about that. You make all of this," he swept a hand to indicate the costumes they were both wearing, "seem so easy. I never thought it might not be."

She couldn't hold back her snort. "No, definitely _not _easy. But Chat Noir makes it easier."

He studied her and at last decided, "Perhaps I misjudged the situation. Just promise me that you won't break Marinette's heart."

"I can definitely promise you that." He smiled, gave a little bow, called off his transformation, and took his bike home. When, at last, everyone had left for home and the coast was clear, Ladybug whispered, "Tikki, spots off." She held her Kwami in her hands and took a deep breath. "Oh Tikki, is it _always _this complicated to be Ladybug?"

Tikki smiled, "It's frequently been complicated, but I don't know if I've ever seen it quite this bad."

* * *

"So, Lila," Adrien asked once they were both comfortably seated in the limousine, "are you excited to go back to London?" She shrugged and pulled out her phone and started fiddling with it. "I know I am… I got permission to go to the theatre. There's a lot of great shows running right now. Do you like theatre?" She wasn't really paying attention to him, and just shrugged again. The last week had taught him a great deal about Lila: she saved her sugary lies for the right audience; whenever there wasn't someone she wanted to impress, she was either distant or downright unpleasant. But he didn't care. Today, he was on a mission. "I've heard great things about _Matilda_; apparently it's the one you've got to hear in the original English. Want to come with me?"

Finally her head snapped up. "Wait, _what?" _she asked.

"I thought it would be fun," he shrugged. "And it'd be some time away from Nathalie and modeling and galas and stuff. How about it? Tonight?"

He could tell her brain was scrambling to respond. She'd been throwing herself at him for ages and he'd just been getting colder. Suddenly, he was asking her out? "Uh, sure," she responded, clearly flummoxed. Adrien vaguely wondered if she'd ever received positive attention without having to lie to get it.

"So, who were you texting just now?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

"Oh, that?" she laughed a little, "Just checking in with Prince Ali. He's setting up a cruise of the Mediterranean and was wondering how much time I'd have before school started again."

Yep, just like Adrien had predicted—as soon as she felt like she needed to impress him again, she was back to the ridiculous lies. "That's nice," he responded with a little smile. He pulled out his own phone and pretended to smile at a text.

"And who are _you_ texting?" she asked, taking Adrien's bait.

"Ladybug," he responded, not looking up and typing feverishly on his phone.

Her eyes bulged. "_Seriously? _I mean, she told me she didn't give her phone number out to anyone?"

He looked up at her slowly and frowned, "Weird. I guess she changed her policy."

"Does she… ever talk about me?" Lila hesitated. Adrien thought about her question very quickly. He and Ladybug had talked about this conversation and how Lila might react to it. They needed to know why Mayura and Hawkmoth wanted Lila to get closer to Adrien. After carefully weighing his options, Adrien decided it was best to prove he was really in contact with Ladybug.

So, he frowned deeper and said, "Not really, and even when she does, it's not very flattering. I don't know why that would be, Lila; you've always seemed nice enough to me." He went back to his pretend text conversation.

Her eyes narrowed. She bought it. "How do you know Ladybug, then?"

"Oh, we see each other around sometimes," he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the phone.

"Well, you should be careful with her," Lila started, letting her voice drop to what was supposed to be a mysterious tone, "she's been so rude ever since… well…"

Adrien leaned in, as he suspected Lila wanted him to, "Since what?"

"It's really not my place to say." Her upper lip curled back, like a tiger getting ready to attack. Adrien resisted the urge to pull back and instead played into her game.  
"Please, what?"

"I discovered that she'd been working with Hawkmoth."  
"What? No!"

"_Yes," _she insisted, "I'm sorry, this must be so difficult for you. Still, like I always say, it's better to know the truth than be comforted in a lie." Adrien was having a _really _hard time not laughing, rolling his eyes, or calling her out. She patted his knee. The back of his hair raised up and he instinctively pulled away from the touch. "See, Ladybug wanted to be famous and get all kinds of attention, so she struck a deal with Hawkmoth that she would save the day over and over again. And it worked—Paris is absolutely in love with her. But why else do you think it's been a year and we're no safer than we were before? Worse, in fact? Ladybug hasn't done her job, she's hasn't saved us from the akumas, and when I found out why, she turned on me and started spreading hateful lies against me."

"Yikes," Adrien breathed, unable to come up with a more thoughtful response than that.

What was it that Ladybug had told him she might try? Projecting her misdeeds on others? Yes, this seemed like it might be something like that. Now, if Adrien could keep her talking, he could maybe figure out why.

"It's ok, Adrien, I didn't want to believe it at first either."

"But what about Chat Noir? Wouldn't he notice and stop her?"

"Chat Noir? That bozo? Nah, he's nowhere _near_ smart enough to figure it out."

Adrien forced a laugh to cover the glare his eyes were trying to give her. "Why would Hawkmoth be willing to take on the reputation of a supervillain, though, if it were just to benefit Ladybug?"

"Oh, he's getting something out of it." She left it at that.

He couldn't hide the face of pain he was making, so he channeled it into the phone in his hand.

"I'm sorry, Adrien, I know you… liked Ladybug."

"I don't know anyone who _doesn't _like Ladybug."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Weren't you two kind of close? She's super protective of you in particular, and the first day we met, at the park? She seemed jealous that I was hanging out with you."

Adrien was so surprised at this notion that he forgot he was supposed to be acting. "You thought she was jealous and over protective?"

Lila sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh you poor thing. She's _totally _into you. It's got to be heartbreaking to find out these terrible things about Paris' sweetheart. But it's ok, I'm here if you need a hug."

"I'll survive," Adrien squeaked and looked out the window to end the conversation.

The very next stop they made, Adrien bolted out of sight and pulled out his silver cell phone. She answered his "Safe?" text rapidly, so he called her.

"Chat? How'd it go?"

"She took the bait. Adrien and Lila are going to the theatre tonight, and I've lots to tell you, but not a lot of time."

"Just stick to the basics, then."

"I'm still not sure, but I think that Hawkmoth and Mayura and Lila are targeting Adrien because they believe you've got a thing for him." She went silent. He could hear her voice cracking, unable to speak. "Ladybug? Are you ok?"

"Uh…uh…yeah!" she yelled a little to loudly. "I mean, of course! Why wouldn't I be? I just… am worried about Adrien being safe!"

"_Do _you have a thing for Adrien Agreste?"

"Chat…"

"You know, it doesn't matter… what matters is that Lila thinks so, and that she's trying to make you jealous."

"You're… r-right. Hawkmoth is just trying to get under our skin. So what else did Lila say?"

"So, she's trying to plant seeds of doubt in Adrien's mind, make you out to be some kind of monster who's working with Hawkmoth for fame and glory."

She snorted in disgust. "As if. I hope Adrien didn't buy any of that?"

"Oh no, he's… tougher than he looks."

"I know," she said quietly and Adrien felt his heart soar. "But that could have been projecting, just like we discussed last night."

"That's what I thought too. So that means that Lila is trying to get famous. We know from what I overheard in the warehouse last night that she also wants to hurt Marinette, and maybe sully _your _reputation throughout all of it. We also know that the plan is to date Adrien, turn him against Ladybug because Lila thinks that will make you jealous, and then train up and take on you and me to get our miraculouses."

"Wow, Chat, that's brilliant." Even a little compliment filled him with warmth. "But also terrifying."

"Whatever happens, we'll face it together, right?"

"You and me against the world, my Kitty."

He laughed. "How did your day go?"

"You were right—the whole team was eager to help and get to work. I don't know how much time we have, but I felt like we made good headway in learning to work together."

"That sounds amazing. I wish I could have been there."

"Me too. I… miss you, Chat."

"And I miss you, Bugaboo."

"Chat… I'm really worried about Adrien, too. I know you said he was eager to help, but he's going to put himself on the line tonight." Adrien noticed the real concern in her voice.

"Like I said, he's tough," Chat responded.

"Still, I don't like this idea of him listening to Lila's lies for hours and no way to defend myself."

"I don't think he'll be swayed by Lila."

"But how can you be certain?"

"Do you want to talk to him yourself?"

She hesitated for a second, then firmly responded, "Yes."

"On the phone or in person?"

Again, a brief hesitation, "Oh, phone should be fine…"

"In person it is. Can you spare an hour after his outing with Lila tonight?"

"Chat, that's not really necessary…"

"Will you be available?"

"Yes…"

"Alright, I will text you when he's available. I'll use the horse miraculous to pick you up. I think he'd really appreciate a visit from you, especially after suffering through an evening with Lila."

"Sounds good." Ladybug's voice was distant and dreamy. "I mean," she stammered, "if it's not too much trouble for you…"

"None at all, Milady." His other phone buzzed with a frustrated text from Nathalie. "Oops, I've gotta scat. See you tonight?"

"Tonight, Kitty. Bye!"

"Bye!" Adrien carefully stowed his silver cell phone away and did a little skip. He was going to see his lady tonight, without his mask. Even if he had to endure three hours of theatre beside Lila, he was still all smiles when he returned to the limousine.

* * *

"You're awfully jumpy tonight, Marinette," her mother said over dinner.

"Hm?" Marinette missed her mouth with her fork and dropped her food in her lap instead. Her parents laughed.

"Do you have plans?" Tom asked his daughter.

"Y-yeah, is that alright? I was going to visit a friend for an hour or two."

"That's fine, dear," her mother said.

"Which friend?" Tom asked conversationally.

"Oh… uh…" Marinette wasn't sure if her parents knew Adrien was out of town or not; they did watch the news, but typically didn't follow celebrity gossip. It was probably best to err on the safe side, so she responded, "Max. He and I are working on a project to surprise Adrien when he gets home."

"Oh yeah, I saw he was in England for the new _Gabriel _store opening. When does he get back?" her mother asked.

Marinette inwardly sighed in relief. "I'm not exactly sure. Next week, I think."

"Well, that sounds nice. Just check in with us when you get home, ok?"

"Sure thing." Marinette kissed her parents and went upstairs to collect a few things in her purse before striking off to the streets of Paris for the evening.

"Tikki," she whispered, once she was safely on her own, "I'm so nervous! What do I even say? What do I even do?"

"Well," Tikki piped from her hiding place in Marinette's purse, "it isn't supposed to be a fancy meeting. You're just supposed to be giving him confidence and counteracting Lila's stories."

"I know," Marinette said, "but I still can't help it. Even after spending so much time with Chat Noir and feeling so happy with him, I still have strong feelings for Adrien."

Tikki smiled. "Just be yourself. Why don't you go ahead and transform now, work out some nerves, and then you'll be ready whenever he is."

"Thanks, Tikki. Spots on!"

Ladybug was swinging over the rooftops of Paris, enjoying the early evening air rushing through her hair and the way her senses worked when she was transformed, when her silver cell phone vibrated in her invisible pocket. She landed quietly and hid behind a chimney, then checked her phone. It was still quite early in the evening, but there was a text from Chat:

**Kitty: Adrien's evening ended early, are you available?**

Her heart missed a beat. She quickly responded:

**Milady: Yes. You can use your Chat phone to track me… tbh, I'm not exactly sure where I am**

**Kitty: haha k be there in 5 **

She started pacing and fiddling with her hair. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But she was also dying to see Adrien. She'd hardly spent any time with him at all since the end of school, and even then, it had been at his fencing tournaments where they hadn't spoken much. Not to mention the fact that she was currently dressed up as Ladybug, who had even _less _one-on-one time with him. With a start, she realized it wouldn't be one-on-one time with Adrien—Chat would be there. Chat, who still had feelings for Ladybug, but also was getting awfully close with Marinette… how did she get herself into this mess? This was going to be the most awkward evening of her life. She pulled out her silver cell phone to cancel the whole thing, when suddenly a circle of light appeared beside her and widened to reveal Chat Noir in his silly man-bun and sunglasses getup. He smiled and waved. The sight of him made her laugh again involuntarily. He scowled, knowing what was making her laugh, and took her hand to pull her back through the portal.

"I'm s-sorry, Ch-Chat," she hiccupped through the laugh, "I just cannot get over the man-bun!"

"I know, I know. This one is ridiculous. I much prefer being Chat Noir. Plagg _gets _me. Kaalki doesn't." They both laughed a bit more until she regained her composure.

"So, where are we going?"

"You're meeting Adrien at Saint Paul's Cathedral."

"_I'm _meeting him? What, aren't you coming?"

A little smile played at his lips. "I've got other responsibilities tonight. Why, worried you can't hold a conversation with Adrien without me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Hardly. But I do miss hanging out with you. Paris has been so quiet this last week." Little did he know that she'd spent more time with Chat this week than just fighting that sentimonster.

The dots on the edge of his sunglasses flashed. "Woops, looks like I'm going to transform soon. How about I put the glasses over there—" he pointed, "and you can take them back with you when you need to go home?"

"No, as long as you're still here, you need to hold on to them."  
"As you wish, Milady. Enjoy your evening!" He kissed her knuckles and ran off at an impressive speed. She checked the map on her yo-yo, unsure of the fastest way to St. Paul's. She wasn't far. But even in the few minutes she'd been in London, she'd gained more attention than she liked. In Paris, most people understood the importance of Ladybug's presence and wouldn't distract her when transformed. Here, however, and without any pressure from an Akuma, she was a novelty. She smiled and waved to all the cameras that had been pulled out, but quickly used her yo-yo to zip her way to St. Paul's. She perched on a lamp post and scanned the crowd. Plenty of people called "Ladybug! Ladybug!" in nasal English, but no sign of Adrien. Finally, she noticed a second crowd of people, almost as eager to snap photographs of something else as they were of her. _There he is,_ she thought, and hopped from lamp post to lamp post, did a couple mid-air summersaults, and landed next to the blonde model.

"L-Ladybug!" he gasped. She smiled at him. The cameras were going wild.

"Hello, Monsieur Agreste, care to go somewhere a little quieter?"

"Yes please," he nodded eagerly. Then he turned to the crowd with a little bow, "If you'll excuse me." She wrapped her arm around his waist and he flushed at her touch. She threw her yo-yo out and zipped them across the Thames.

"Sorry about that," he muttered.

"About what?" she asked.

"The crowd. I hate all the publicity I get."

"I can't imagine," she shook her head.

"Well, you get an awful lot of attention as well," he noted.

"Yes, but at the end of the day, I can turn it all off and just blend into the crowd."

"I can't imagine you'd ever just blend in," he whispered into the air as they flew from building to building under her strength.

Now it was her turn to blush. "Uh… wh-where should we…"

"Oh," he managed, once he figured out what she was trying to ask, "Tower Bridge… Chat Noir said he'd help me with something."

The arrived and there was a little picnic set up on one of the highest trusses of the bridge. It was precarious, but incredibly romantic. She kept a firm hand on his waist as they landed, but he seemed a lot more comfortable with heights than she was without the power of the miraculous. He settled in, but she insisted on tying her yo-yo around his waist and securing it to the truss of the bridge, before sitting down beside him on the truss. "This is… really nice," she sighed, looking over the Thames far below them, dotted with boats. Big Ben could be seen in the distance, and the Tower of London, and the dome of St. Paul's… it was truly breathtaking. "I'm impressed at Chat setting this up."

"He's pretty cool," Adrien said quietly. "Always willing to help a friend out."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm kind of surprised; he is usually pretty protective of me. This is kind of… uh… romantic, I guess," she blushed intensely. "It's something he'd do himself, not set up for a friend."

His eyes popped. "Uh… I'm sorry, is it too much? I just asked him to put a few things up here, and uh… he… he…"

Ladybug laughed. "It's ok, Adrien, it's really nice. Chat _is _a good friend, and it's got to be tricky finding a secluded place in London."

He nodded feverishly. The air fell quiet between them. "So," she said softly, "how have you been doing during this… trip...?"

He shrugged. "Honestly? It's been pretty lousy. My father insists I spend all my time with Lila, we've been constantly punted around between Birmingham and London and Oxford and Cambridge and I'm… worn out."

"I'm sorry," she muttered, trying to muster the courage to pat his arm or something supportive. She tried to reach out to him, but only managed to bump his shoulder with hers. He shivered at the touch.

"I'm glad that Lila wasn't thrilled with the choice of shows I made, so she went back to the hotel to have a tantrum and I got off early."

Ladybug laughed at that. "Is that what happened? Wow, who knew she could be so dramatic?"

He smiled. "She's been the _worst. _It's kind of funny, though, how she lies to impress people, but if she feels like someone is below her notice, she'll either ignore them or criticize them."  
"Sounds… frustrating."

"It is. But you didn't come here just to listen to me complain. How are you? How is Paris without Chat Noir?"

She tilted her head. "How do you know that Chat Noir isn't there?"  
Again, his eyes widened. "Uh, well, uh… _obviously _he's not there, he keeps coming and talking to me."

"Oh yes, of course," she said, blushing and feeling very silly. "After all, I'm the one who asked him to keep a closer eye on you."

"Yeah," he sighed, staring into her eyes with a far-off expression on his face. "That was… kind of you."

She shrugged. "Since we found out that Hawkmoth is targeting you for whatever reason, I've been worried about you. Hawkmoth's plans can be cruel, and you don't deserve to be a pawn in his game."

Adrien smiled at her in a way that made her heart race. "Thanks." A stillness fell between them. After a few moments, Adrien pulled out a brown paper bag from a messenger bag he had stashed with the picnic things. "I… uh… got you some bonbons. Would you, er, like one?"

She smiled and took one and popped in her mouth. She closed her eyes as the miraculous-enhanced flavors rippled across her tongue in a complex dance. "Mmm, toffee!" He smiled as she enjoyed the treat.

"London's finest," he said proudly. "And by _finest, _I mean, from the shop closest to the hotel they've cooped me up at." She laughed. "But I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She smiled and took a deep breath in through her nose as she still sucked on the rich candy. "It's just… maybe Chat Noir told you, but the miraculous enhances my senses. Food tastes different when I'm Ladybug."

Adrien smiled one of his dazzling, toothy, model smiles. "Is that so."

She nodded and looked up at him through her lashes. "Can I have another?"

"Knock yourself out," he laughed, handing her the bag. Their fingers brushed each other as she took the bag from him, making them both flush furiously. "So what's your favorite things to eat? As Ladybug, that is?"

This conversation was incredibly familiar. She smiled to herself as she remembered Chat's responses to Marinette's similar question. "Well, my kwami really loves sweet things. I think she's rubbed off on me."

He nodded. "What else do you enjoy? And not just eating, but, like, hobbies?"

She smiled. "I like creating things. I love when I get an idea and then work to make it a real thing. I really love creating things for my friends most." His gaze focused in intensity. She was struggling to look away from those vivid green eyes. "Wh-what about you?"

"Well, I have lots of extra curriculars… fencing, piano, Chinese…"  
She rolled her eyes, "I know about _those _things; what about what you like to do? Like, when you're not being told what to do?"

"Oh, yeah… um… video games, comic books, foosball… and…" his voice quieted as he got a distant look on his face, "running."

She raised an eyebrow, "You go running?"

He smirked. "Yeah, whenever I can get out of the house."

Marinette had to contain herself behind her Ladybug mask. This was not something she knew about Adrien. She thought she knew everything about him; how could she have missed a favorite, visible activity like _running_? "Distance? Sprinting?"

He thought about his answer carefully, then responded, "No, hurdles." Was this the same Adrien she'd known for a year? "The tallest hurdles are my favorite, and that feeling of leaping over them and landing?" he took a deep breath and sighed. "It's the _best."_ She was quite shocked. A few seconds later, he added, "And I also like to joke around with my friends. But my father doesn't let me out of the house very often to do that." He rubbed the back of his neck in his unique way. "But enough about me. What about _you?"_

She rubbed her toes together nervously. "I dunno, I'm really not that interesting, I guess."

"I beg to differ."  
She flushed. "Well, what do you want to know then?"

"What's the best thing about being Ladybug?"

She bit the inside of her lip as she thought. "Hm… probably… helping people. And not just getting them de-akumatized, but really helping them; looking in their eyes and telling them everything is going to be alright and knowing that they're safe afterwords, or watching those miraculous ladybugs repair pain and sorrow along with broken buildings." He was staring at her again. "_What?" _she asked nervously.

"You speak with so much passion. It's mesmerizing."

If it had been Chat Noir there, using words like 'passion' and 'mesmerizing,' she would have laughed, flirted back, or done something silly to diffuse the situation. But Adrien… she didn't know how to handle his attention. So she just kept on blushing and rubbing her toes together and looking at her hands. "Th-Thanks," was all she could stammer.

But Adrien wasn't done complimenting her, "You care so much about everyone. You're so clever and kind. You know exactly what to say and do in every instance. It's… it's…" he very tentatively reached for her hand. She watched his fingers slowly cross his lap and then felt the warmth of his skin hover over hers for just a moment before she flipped her hand over so that her palm was up and he let their fingers intertwine. "It's irresistible," he breathed.

She was holding hands with Adrien. Holding. Hands. With Adrien Agreste. Marinette's brain was screaming behind the mask. Her heart was thudding so fast she couldn't catch her breath. Electricity danced from her fingertips, up her arm, and then radiating to every inch of her body. When she at last regained enough of her senses to look him in the eyes, he was smiling—not his carefully rehearsed model smile, but a big, floppy, dopey grin like Chat sometimes wore when Ladybug showed off with some acrobatics.

"Ladybug," he whispered, "I need you to know… ever since I first met you…" he was looking at their intertwined hands with a very peculiar expression on his face. "I've always… felt…"

Every phone on both Ladybug and Adrien started buzzing like mad. They both instinctively grabbed their devices—Ladybug reaching her yo-yo first, and sliding it open, muttered, "No, no, _no, _not now!"

It was an Akuma. In Paris. Adrien was suddenly all business. His eyes were hard and focused when they met hers. "Chat Noir said he wouldn't wander too far." He started unraveling the knot around his waist so Ladybug could retrieve the rest of her yo-yo string. "Go find him; hurry!"  
"Are you kidding me? I am _not _leaving you on the top of Tower Bridge in London!" He halted, looked down at himself on the tiny truss, and laughed. She couldn't help but laughing as well. "Here, let me help you with that. Hold on, tight!" With one small flick of her wrist, the knot came untied and the yo-yo zipped back into her hand. She wrapped her arm around his waist and hooked the yo-yo to the truss so she could lower the two of them to the bridge below.

"Let's go over there—" Adrien said, pointing to a group of restaurant stands nearby. "That'll be safe enough."

"Safe enough for what?"

"For me, to wait until you fight off the akuma!"

"No way," she shook her head feverishly. "I'm not leaving you on the street. Not when Hawkmoth is targeting you. Either you're coming back to Paris with Chat Noir and I, as soon as we can find him, or your hotel."

"Ladybug, I appreciate the concern and all, but this is not the time to be worrying about me. I promise I'll be safe. Please, just take me right over there. Contact the rest of your team, and Chat will be here in a minute; I'm sure of it." When she hesitated, he added, "Trust me." She looked into those kind, thoughtful eyes, and nodded. She set him down where he had requested. He paused briefly, then drew her in for a hug.

"Please stay safe," she whispered into his ear.  
"You too," he muttered back, and then he ran off to the shadows. Ladybug pulled out the silver cell phone and saw the alerts popping up from the team. After quickly checking the AkumaAlert app, she dialed Chat Noir's number. It rang twice with no answer.

"Come _on, _Kitty, pick up…"

"You called?" he said from behind her, startling so bad that she yelped and her phone went flying. She grasped her heart.

"Chat!"

He laughed uproariously while catching her phone and returning it to her. He was pulling the sunglasses from a pocket, ready to unify the two powers. "Where to, Milady?"

She glared at him. "Just so you know, you're really not as funny as you think."

He was still smiling from ear to ear. "That's right. I'm a whole lot funnier." She wanted to keep her glare going, but his toothy, dopey grin made her frown betray her. "Where to?" he repeated.

She held the phone up in a vain attempt to cover her playful smile, and said, "Looks like Montparnasse Tower."

"Alright then," he said, putting the glasses on over his mask.

Just then, the ground rumbled as Tower Bridge gave a mighty shake. Thousands of screams reached their ears as they looked up to see an enormous, slimy, green monster rising from the Thames and climbing up the base of the bridge. It immediately started hurling cars from the bridge as the pedestrians scrambled to safety.

"Oh shoot," Ladybug and Chat Noir breathed in tandem.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"ADRIEN!" Ladybug screamed as she pelted into the horde of people trying to escape the vicinity. "ADRIEN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Chat ran after her. Being a head taller than her was the only reason he was able to grab her shoulder before it was enveloped in the crowd. "Ladybug, stop!"

She tried to throw his hand off while screaming, "Let me go! I have to find Adrien! I have to know he's safe!" He got his other hand on her other shoulder and pulled her back to him. She clawed at his grip and kicked at the air with her feet. "LET ME GO!" A car flew over their heads and crashed into the pavement behind them with a sickening crunch. Debris scattered over the crowd. "ADRIEN!" she yelled again. Chat wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet.

"Ladybug," he whispered, pressing his cheek to hers and feeling the cold dread that was there, "Adrien is safe. I saw him, running. He's escaped. He's safe. He's safe. He's safe." He kept saying the words until she stopped fighting him. He pulled their faces apart, and was surprised to feel the wetness of her tears where they had touched.

"You… You're sure?" Her eyes were following the crowd as it surged to the neighboring streets, no doubt praying for a glimpse of the familiar blonde hair.

"Cat's honor."

She was still nervous and twitchy, and talking rapidly in a panic attack. "It's all my fault… I shouldn't have let anyone see me here… Hawkmoth must have seen all the pictures suddenly go up online… It's all my fault… he knows… he used Adrien to get to me and it worked… it's all my fault…"

Chat Noir still had his arms around her. She was shaking. Her reaction had him terrified. "Ladybug, it's going to be alright, we can handle this," he pressed his thumbs into her temples and started rubbing gentle circles there, just like his mother had done when he had been frightened as a child.

She closed her eyes and relaxed into his touch. "Listen to my voice, just my voice," he said slowly and quietly. "Breathe deeply with me, inhale, exhale." She started inhaling deeply through her nose and then blowing air out her lips. "Name five things you can feel without opening your eyes." Her eyebrow raised slightly, but she complied.

As she stomped her feet, she said, "One, the ground. There is ground beneath me. Two, air, there is air around me." Deep breath. "Three," she reached up with one hand and felt her face and hair with her eyes still firmly closed, "there is my mask." Another deep breath. "Four, there is my yo-yo. And five," she reached out with her hands and felt Chat Noir there. Her fingers started on his arms, but then slid up to his shoulders, found his neck, jaw, ears, eyes, and lips. They quickly ruffled his hair and down to his back. "Five, I can feel Chat Noir with me."

"Good," he whispered so she had to still herself to hear him, "Now, tell me who you are."

"I am Ladybug. _I am Ladybug," _she quietly repeated, before taking a final breath and opening her eyes slowly.

"Better?"

"Yes," she breathed. "But you _promise_ Adrien is safe?"

He nodded and pressed her hand into his chest. She could feel the steady drumbeat of his heart. He was calm and sharp. "I promise."

She finally stopped shaking and nodded resolutely.

"Whatcha say we handle this slimy situation?" he said, inclining his head toward the green sentimonster on the bridge.

She nodded again.

"I'm thinking we should split up," Chat said. "You take the horse miraculous, get back to Paris, call the team, and take down the akuma. I'll keep this thing occupied until you get back."

She bit her lip. "I dunno, Chat, that's awfully risky. And if you get the upper hand on it,"

"Paw. The upper paw."

A tiny smile played on her upper lip. "If you get an upper _paw_ on it, you won't have any way to purify the amok."

"Ladybug, I need to face Lila." He was almost growling. That righteous anger convinced her, more than anything, to let him go.

She nodded her consent. "I'll send some help," she promised. Chat handed her the glasses and she put them on over her mask. "Tikki, Kaalki, unify!" A wave of transformation washed over her, leaving her with an interesting combination of red and black, brown and white, a white streak through her hair and stripes down her sides. Chat gave her a final hug, then released her and launched himself toward the Sentimonster.

Ladybug's miraculous-enhanced ears caught him taunting, "Alright you swamp-imonster, it's _Thames _to bring you down!"

She laughed a little before calling, "Voyage!" and stepping through the circle of light and onto the roof of Montparnasse Tower.

* * *

"Meet me at the top of Montparnasse Tower. Pegasus, remember plenty of carrots!" she panted and sent the group message. She spun her yo-yo in a rapid shield-circle, deflecting blasts from the akuma-of-the-day, a dark figure who had already made a couple dozen pedestrians swap places with their shadow, so that they became a two-dimensional smear on the ground and their body became black and massless. As the sun was setting, the akuma was getting harder and harder to see, and therefore harder and harder to hold off.

She tried hooking her yo-yo around the akuma's waist, but it slipped right through. It fired black energy blasts at her in rapid succession. She jumped high to avoid them and landed on her feet a few meters away. She looked around, trying to figure out where the akuma might be hiding in the massless figure. She threw her yo-yo again with no success. They continued this dance for a while, but Ladybug knew she was going to fail as soon as she couldn't see any more. She wished for Chat Noir, more than anything, as he would have night vision and make quick work of the akuma.

The akuma fired another round of black blasts at her, and she did a back handspring to get away, but wasn't quite fast enough. One blast hit her left arm and it was immediately turned into a useless black fog hanging at her side. She saw on the ground behind her the image of her arm, hand still curled in a fist, looking very awkward on the ground there.

"Ugh!" she moaned as she turned back to the villain. "So not cool!"

She ran at the thing and tapped into her kickboxing training. But her kicks and punches just slid through the creature. Her heart sank. How would she ever stop this thing?

Just then, the best sound caught her ears: several pairs of boots had just landed behind her. She used her yo-yo as a shield as she turned around. King Monkey was setting Max down. Ryuko, Viperion, Rena Rouge, and Carapace were pulling out their weapons, ready to engage. Ladybug managed a weak smile.

"Perfect timing!" she said. She tried to pull the glasses out of her pocket, but her left hand was useless. "Rena, can you take these things for me?" she yelled, keeping her yo-yo as a shield while Rena Rouge raced forward and removed the glasses from their hidden spot. "Pegasus, suit up!"

Max called on his transformation while the rest of the team started engaging the akuma. Nobody had much luck with it.

Luck! That's what they needed! "Lucky charm!" she called, but was surprised when a bottle of herbicide fell at her feet. She looked around to figure it out, but when her eyes saw Pegasus, she knew immediately what needed to happen. "Pegasus!" she yelled, "take this, and Viperion, Carapace, and Ryuko. Go to Tower Bridge in London and help Chat Noir!" She dropped her yo-yo so she could toss the lucky charm at Pegasus, who nodded.

Ladybug turned back to the dark akuma as she heard "Voyage!" called from behind her.

The best the three heroes left standing could do was deflect the black blasts the akuma kept tossing at them. The sun had officially disappeared and the minimal light from the night sky was insufficient to see the black shadow of the akuma. To make matters worse, Ladybug's earrings were softly beeping their descent to disappearance.

"Mirage!" Rena Rouge called, and created a dazzling set of stadium lights around them. With the new light, they could see their opponent, but still didn't have any way to actually get a hold of it. King Monkey bounced from the protective fences around the perimeter of the rooftop, laughing to himself at the joy of superagility. Rena spun her flute as a shield, similar to the way Chat used his baton, and Ladybug felt a twang of heartache rip through her. Chat would've been able to bring this akuma down! Why couldn't she?

"Ok, LB, what's the plan?" King Monkey laughed, balancing on top of his ruyi jingu bang on one foot.

"I… I don't know! Let me think!" She looked around, trying to get ideas, but nothing came to her. Her earrings started to chirp in earnest. Rena Rouge's necklace wasn't far behind.

The akuma roared and started firing black blasts from both hands. King Monkey jumped in front of Ladybug, spinning his jingu bang and protected her from the shadows. But Rena Rouge wasn't so lucky. One of the blasts hit her square in the chest and she was left a smear of color on the rooftop and a massless black cloud in the perfect shape of her ears, tail, and outstretched arms.

"NO!" Ladybug screamed.

* * *

Carapace was the first one through the portal to London, and his eyes widened with horror as he saw the trail of destruction spreading out in front of him. There was a long green trail of slime punctuated with craters and rubble from the bridge pointing into the heart of London. Ryuko stepped next to him. "I imagine he must be down there," she stated.

"Yes," Pegasus breathed now that all the heroes were through the portal and he was able to close it, "but I will need to take care of my Kwami for a few minutes. You all go on without me."

Ryuko and Viperion started to run toward the slime trail, but Carapace grabbed both their shoulders and held them back. "No, we're sticking together." And by some strange miracle, they listened to him. Max handed him the red and black spotted bottle of herbicide, called off his transformation, and fed a prancing Kaalki plenty of carrot sticks. In a few minutes she was rearing her head and begging to be allowed back into the battle. They all laughed.

Carapace used the time to check the back of his shield, which turned out to be the most sophisticated device of any of the heroes. Thanks to Max's help just that morning, he'd figured out how to track all the miraculouses currently in use. The screen had two maps, one of London, and one of Paris. He could see the tiny horseshoe, snake, dragon, and turtle on Tower Bridge, and then the route to the little green paw print, and not far from that, the purple peacock. "Guys, Mayura's here! Or maybe the other peacock person that Ladybug warned us about? Looks like Chat's found them."

Out of sudden curiosity, Carapace scrolled to the map of Paris and saw the little red ladybug and the bouncing monkey, but he couldn't locate the butterfly, for some strange reason. And, he noted with a tinge of panic, the fox wasn't on there either. Hoping he'd just not made a thorough search of the map, he shook his head and heard Max call, "Kaalki, Full Gallop," and the four heroes barreled down the slime trail.

They found Chat Noir several blocks away, looking more than worse for wear. He was barely staying upright as the sentimonster hurled slime wads at him.

"Lightning Dragon!" Ryuko called, and a massive bolt of light blasted the sentimonster into the side of a building. Chat looked up at them and his face melted with relief.

"Second chance," Viperion muttered as he scaled his bangle back. Pegasus and Carapace ran toward Chat. The horseshoe flew from Pegasus's hand and spun like a boomerang to clock the sentimonster in the head (if that's what you could call it) and back to him. Carapace was more concerned for Chat's wellbeing than the sentimonster, now that Viperion, Ryuko, and Pegasus were all fighting it.

Chat Noir slumped to his knees and Carapace wrapped his arm under his ribs to help him back up. "Chat, it's going to be ok." Chat could barely nod.

"I know what she means about facing one of these things on your own… brutal."

"We're here now," Carapace said, still trying to comfort the distraught hero.

The monster was able to hurl Pegasus back. Ryuko had gotten herself covered in a blob of slime, so she was out of commission. The monster lifted a huge arm of goo and started bringing it down on their heads.

"Shell-ter!" Carapace screamed just as the hand should have made contact with them, and the slime slid down the sides of his shield instead.

Chat took a deep breath and muttered, "Thanks."

"Here," Carapace said, handing the bottle of herbicide to Chat.

He looked at it in his hands. "She… sent _me _her lucky charm?"

"Yep," Carapace nodded, holding the shield firmly in place.

"But that means she's got nothing. She's got no protection, no weapon!"  
"Dude, it's fine, Rena and King Monkey are with her."

Chat's eyes blazed. "My Lady needs me. Drop the shield!" he yelled, and started spraying the monster with herbicide the second the energy field had lowered enough to let him through. The monster wilted underneath the herbicide, leaving nothing but a slimy puddle. Chat dropped the lucky charm and darted down a dark alley—apparently able to see something the rest of them couldn't.

"Hm, that was… actually pretty easy," Ryuko said as the four other superheroes regrouped.

Viperion laughed, "You didn't see the sixteen other iterations where you got pummeled."

She scowled at him. They went to help Pegasus, but Carapace was still concerned about Chat and what—or who—he suspected was down the alley. He ran after Chat.

"Chat," Carapace could hear sooner than he could see, "just think about it, you, me, Hawkmoth, Mayura, all able to work together to get you exactly what you want! She'd be all yours!"

"I don't know who you think you're kidding, but it's not me," Chat retorted. Carapace finally got close enough to see Chat slowly approaching a girl just shorter than him with a light blue, low-cut dress and goofy feather perched on her head. "But if you give up the amok and your miraculous, I promise nothing bad will happen. Ladybug and I can get you out of this. I know Mayura and Hawkmoth are abusing you. They're making you do things you don't want to do. Jeune Paonne, we can help you. We can save you."

The girl got this misty look on her face. "You mean it? You'll let me join your team? You'll protect me from… her?"

Chat nodded quietly, "Yes, Lila, it's ok, we're going to help you."

Chat didn't notice the way her eyes went wide with shock when he said her name. "Thank goodness for you, Chat," she said in her sickly sweet way. She dropped a keychain she'd been holding. Chat lunged and caught it, but she used his shift in position to her advantage. She brought her elbow down hard into his back and kicked his knee out from under him. He pushed up to his knees. Carapace ran toward them, uncaring that his bracelet was beeping like mad. He was still several paces away when Chat Noir yelled "Cataclysm!" and pulled his arm back, aiming for the peacock brooch on her chest, but her fan flew forward just in the nick of time and caught the destructive power of the Black Cat. The fan disintegrated as she laughed.

"I don't need you, I don't need Ladybug, and I _don't _need Mayura," she sneered. "She's going to regret not trusting me, _ooooh _she's going to regret it!" Jeune Paonne kicked Chat into the wall behind them, and he crumpled in shock. She reached down, grabbed his right hand, and slipped the ring from his finger.

Carapace tried to cover his eyes, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The mask sparkled and the claws faded to reveal a bruised and broken Adrien Agreste with his hands pulled over his face.

She laughed and jumped up the walls to the rooftops, clutching her new prize in her fist.

* * *

As Rena Rouge disappeared, her mirage fell, plunging them all into darkness. It was ironically good timing, because Ladybug's transformation fell seconds after.

"Ladybug?" King Monkey called.

"Keep your shield up!" she yelled, feeling Tikki's weak body in her right hand and still nothing in her left. She knew everyone's eyes would adjust to the dark in a matter of seconds, so she dove behind an air vent on the roof and fed Tikki whatever she could find in her purse. Quickly, Tikki recovered, but held up a little hand before Marinette could call on her transformation.

"Marinette," she whispered, "get me the purple macaron!"

"Oh!" Marinette gasped, her eyes popping wider. She reached into the special pocket of her purse that held the little box of power-ups. She'd never tried the purple one before.

She tossed it to Tikki, who swallowed it whole and spun in a dazzling array of sparks and rays of shimmering moonlight. "Nocturne-Tikki!" she cried.

"Nocturne-Tikki, spots on!" Marinette cried, and was shocked at the difference the power-up made. She still had no left arm, but she could _see. _Everything was highlighted in perfect detail. Not only was her vision perfect, she could hear even better than before as well. She took a few steps and noticed her feet made no sound as they padded across the ground.

She saw King Monkey flailing around, spinning his jingu bang like a shield, but nowhere near the crystal-clear shape of the akuma. She stifled a laugh. He was hopping from foot to foot, doing a cartwheel or a handspring, and then hopping some more. Suddenly, he landed and she simultaneously felt a crushing pain in her left arm. "Ouch!" she screamed.

Wait! Why would her left arm hurt like there was a man-sized monkey on it? Her arm wasn't currently in existence. As King Monkey heard her cry, he jumped again and yelped, "Sorry!" and the pain subsided. She looked where he had been standing and saw the outline of her fisted hand, still smeared on the ground. So, that meant it was still there, just… not on her any more. If that was true, then that meant the akuma must have a real body, somehow.

She ran to the edge of the building and looked down. With her fantastic vision, she was able to see a scowling, 2-D figure on the ground far below her, without an attached shadow body. But with only one arm, she wouldn't be able to get to it. "King Monkey!" she called, racing so she stood directly behind the shadowy half of the akuma, "throw a banana at my voice!"

He laughed and called, "Uproar!" The banana swished through the massless akuma, but still did its work. Its powers faltered for a second, Ladybug's arm came back, and Rena Rouge bounced up and high-fived King Monkey. Ladybug jumped over the safety barriers and pointed her hands down in a swan dive. When she had five stories left, she tossed her yo-yo and slowed her descent so she landed softly on her feet. The akuma's face was glaring at her, yelling, "No, no no!" as she stomped into the flashlight it appeared to be holding in its hand. A black and purple butterfly wriggled free, and she called "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma, time to de-evilize!"

Once she'd waved the white butterfly away, she raced inside and took the elevator back to the top of Montparnasse tower. Kim and Alya were standing side-by-side, trying not to look at each other as they fed their kwamis.

"We need to go help Chat Noir," she panted. She used her yo-yo to try to call Chat Noir, but there was just a busy signal. She pulled out the silver cellphone and dialed his number. It went straight to voicemail. "Where _is _that cat?" she growled, going back to the yo-yo and trying Carapace, then Ryuko, and Viperion. No answers, none at all.

Thoroughly panicked, she took the silver cellphone and tried Chat one more time.

"L-Ladybug," a quiet, broken voice whispered through the speaker.

"Oh Chat! Are you ok?"

"D-Don't come yet. Pegasus will get you soon." He hung up on her.

"Chat!" she screamed at the phone, even though she knew he wouldn't hear her.

* * *

"VIPERION!" Carapace screamed as he raced back to the square where they'd battled the sentimonster, "TURN IT BACK SECOND CHANCE SECOND CHANCE DO IT NOW!" Carapace rounded the corner and saw Pegasus standing next to Kagami and Luka, who were holding their kwamis in their hands gently and looking his direction with bemused faces. "NO!"

"What is it, Cap?" Luka called after him as he spun on his heel and headed back into the alleyway. Carapace's transformation fell as he crouched next to his friend who was stashing a silver phone back in his pocket.

"Adrien," Nino whispered, "Adrien, I'm so sorry man…"

Adrien just shook his head. "I… need to get back to my hotel room."

"Sure, anything, where is it, dude?"

Adrien was shaking so hard he could hardly stand. Nino heard the others entering the alleyway. "Stop! Don't come any closer!" Adrien yelled with surprising force. "Go back to Ladybug, but don't come back until I say so, ok? Promise me?"

"Chat Noir, are you alright?" Pegasus's voice called to them.

"Just go, and don't let her come here until I say so!"

"O-ok," Pegasus responded with uncertainty.

Adrien reached out to Nino, who wrapped his arm under his friend's bruised ribs to steady him on his feet. "Where's your hotel?" Nino repeated.

"We're not that far, I was trying to lure the sentimonster closer so I could pick up some… supplies…" Adrien winced as they hobbled to the end of the alley. "Still, I'd rather not have a million pictures of a bloody-pulp-of-an-Agreste all over the internet… could you manage to take me through the window?"

"Sure, dude," Nino said, and checked on Wayzz who was happily chowing down on the host of goodies Nino had stuffed in his pockets—unsure of what his kwami might enjoy. "Shell on," he requested, and once he was super-strength again, he scooped Adrien gently in his arms and jumped to the rooftops. "Which room?"

Adrien gave a mirthless laugh, "The penthouse suite, of course." Adrien pointed to an open window on the top floor of the hotel. Carapace jumped through the open window with a soft thud and set Adrien down. He hobbled to the closet and started rifling through it, and Carapace dropped his transformation out of respect for his unmasked friend.

"Adrien, I… I… You're Chat Noir. Like, _The Chat Noir." _Nino's brain was racing. "All this time, all those random disappearances, all those lame excuses…"

Adrien wasn't really listening. He pulled out a black garment bag that had a lock on it. He pressed his thumb to the lock and it popped open with his fingerprint.

"You're _Chat. Noir._"  
"Not any more," Adrien moaned as he pulled out the contents of the garment bag. "Not unless we can get my miraculous back."

Nino's mouth dropped open. "I'm so sorry, bro," he huffed.

Adrien just shook his head. He pulled off his shirt and started putting on a sleek black one with green accents and buttoned it up. "We've got to get it back. Lila's got it, and by extension, Hawkmoth."

"I don't follow, man…"

"Lila's been working with Hawkmoth since the end of school," Adrien said rapidly, now replacing his pants, "Ladybug and I tracked her here. Mayura's been training her to be some kind of a replacement. Tonight… well, tonight was a disaster. I was trying to find out more about Lila's connection with Mayura so I took her on a date as Adrien, but Ladybug was willing to meet me after and I shouldn't have pressed her to do it… gah I'm such an idiot! Why did I invite her here? It just lured her into a trap!"

Adrien was talking so quickly that Nino was having a hard time keeping up. "Wait, you were on a date with Lila? Or Ladybug?"

"Both, Lila first, but that was just a façade to press her for more information. Then Ladybug came because Chat Noir asked her to check up on me."  
Nino scratched his head. "This is kinda confusing."

Adrien paused from tying his shoes and dropped his head between his knees. "I know. Confusing has been the story of my life for the last year."

Nino laughed. Then Adrien laughed. And they both sat there laughing until they'd had their fill.

"So you tried to get information out of Lila, and then you met up with Ladybug, and of course Hawkmoth found out that Ladybug was in London because even _I _saw the pictures of her picking you up in front of St. Paul's Cathedral."

Adrien nodded. "I just couldn't help it. She was willing to meet me without my mask on and I've… loved her since day one, man. I couldn't say no. I knew the danger of it, I knew what was at risk, but I couldn't help myself. I had her meet me in a super-public location and I took her to the top of Tower Bridge and brought her bonbons and the whole works."

"And Hawkmoth, that jerk, decided to launch a double attack because he knew you couldn't be two places at once," Nino finally deduced. Adrien dropped his face in his hands.

"And we split up, which was my brilliant idea," he said with venom in his voice, "and now Lila's got my miraculous."

"Hey, dude, we'll get it back. I promise we'll get it back."

Adrien managed to stand up and even Nino had to appreciate his amazing new outfit. Adrien pulled out a mask and attached ears from the bag and slipped them over his eyes.

"Uh, that is the coolest Chat Noir costume I've ever seen, including the actual one," Nino muttered.

Adrien smiled his little half-grin. "Thanks, Marinette made it for me. Well, technically, she made it for Ladybug who gave it to me."

Nino cocked his head and raised his eyebrow. "Huh?"

"See? Story of my life."

* * *

"Maximilien Kanté you take me to him this instant or I'll take your miraculous away forever and give it to your pet robot!" Ladybug threatened with her finger on his nose. Max shuddered in fear.

"He… he made me promise!"

"I don't care what he made you promise! He's my partner and he needs me, now!"

Luka, Kagami, Kim, and Alya were all eyes as they swiveled between Ladybug and Max, back and forth, like some kind of super-charged tennis match.

"Give me the glasses!"

"No!"

"NOW!"

"No!"

"Monkey, Ryuko, strong arm him!"

Kagami placed her hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "Ladybug, you need to trust Chat. He knows what he's doing."

Ladybug glared at Kagami, who, of course, was right. "I really hate you right now," she growled.

Kagami smiled gently, and Alya gave Ladybug a light hug. The three girls paced the roof of Montparnasse tower for several minutes while the boys looked on, unsure of how to handle the situation. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Ladybug, a text came through.

**Kitty: safe**

She held it up to Max, who called on his transformation and quickly cried, "Voyage!" and took her back to the square where the puddle of green goo still slimed. Carapace was standing guard in front of a boy wearing a black jacket… black pants… and bright green shoes.

"Oh no, Chat!" Ladybug cried, covering the distance between them in three huge leaps. She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. "No, no, no! I never should have left you, this is all my fault, I'm so so so sorry!" She pounded her fist into the lapel of the stunning jacket.

"Ow," he winced.

She pulled back and looked at the pain in his eyes. "Oh," she moaned, "I'm sorry!" she repeated.  
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground.

"No, this is all my fault."

"Chat, no, I'm not going to let you take the blame for this."

Carapace cleared his throat. "As eager as you two are to win the battle of the blunders, we _do _have two cities in ruins and a very battered Chat Noir to heal, so…"

"Oh!" she squeaked before she picked up the wasted herbicide bottle, still on the ground where Chat had dropped it half an hour earlier. Chat Noir tossed her the keychain Adrien had made for Lila earlier that week. She cracked it in half and released the amok, purified it, and then threw the lucky charm in the air with a "Miraculous Ladybug!" Quickly the buildings were healed, the goo cleaned up, and a huge portion of sparkly Ladybugs flew south—undoubtedly healing Paris at the same time.

She half hoped that when the miraculous finished its magic, Chat's mask would be back on instead of the imposter she'd made for him. But not even the magic ladybugs could return his miraculous to him. His body was healed, but he stood there, quiet and distraught, in the fake mask and ears with tears running down his cheeks.

She walked up to him, placed her hand on his cheek and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Chat Noir, this is not your fault. We are going to get your miraculous back, if it's the last thing I do."

"But it _is _my fault," he tried to say, but she pressed her finger to his lips.

"No. It's Hawkmoth's fault. And Lila's fault. Not yours." He was still shuddering with sobs. She pressed her thumbs into his temples and started rubbing circles there. "Tell me five things you can feel."

He smiled at her though the tears. She pulled his face down to her level and kissed him, hard, square on the mouth. He tensed up in shock, but didn't pull back. She pressed her lips into his even harder, until his face and neck softened and he placed a hand on her back. She didn't let the kiss end quickly—she had too much important information to give him with that kiss—but eventually she pulled her face back just far enough that she could look him in the eyes. "Could you feel that?"

He nodded, breathless.

"Good. I promise you, _I promise you,_ we will get your miraculous back. And then I'm going to kick Lila's butt."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Adrien: that sentimonster launched a car right at me and I got beat up pretty bad. I can't stay here. Carapace and Pegasus offered me a ride home, I'm taking it. Sorry not sorry**

That would have to be enough for Nathalie and his father, because Adrien wasn't in the mood to even call them. He may have to face some repercussions later, but nothing could be worse than losing his miraculous. Adrien was already wearing everything he wanted to wear, so he left all his clothes in the hotel room—certain someone would be along to collect them anyway.

He nodded at Ladybug and Pegasus, who opened the portal and he walked through. The smells of Paris greeted his human nose and he felt a weight lift from his shoulders that he didn't realize was there. They'd come out just in front of their school, not that he could say that while still dressed up as Chat Noir. Though, he realized with pain in his chest, there wasn't much point to keeping his identity secret when he had no miraculous.

Pegasus's glasses started flashing their countdown-to-detransformation. He looked at Ladybug, who just smiled at him. He took that to mean that he could hang on to the miraculous for a while yet. He bowed to the remaining superheroes and bound off into the night.

Carapace put his hand on his friend's shoulder and said, "You could stay with me for a while, you know."

Adrien looked down at his amazing green shoes and smiled sadly, "Thanks, but you don't even know me."

"I doo-" he started saying, but Adrien's masked eyes caught him with a plea of 'please let me keep this disguise for a moment longer' and he redirected his sentence, "n't. I don't know you very well, but I'm sure my mom would be cool with it."

He gave a half smile but still shook his head. "I'll be ok. Cats always land on their feet."

"Ok; but remember dude, the offer still stands."

Chat Noir nodded at Carapace, who then also ran home. Ladybug and Chat stood in the street, eyes unmoving upon each other.

"If you think I'm letting you go home alone like Carapace did, you've got another thing coming," she growled.

He smiled sincerely this time. "You're going to come home with me? Or take me home with you?"

She frowned at this conundrum, but then that familiar I've-got-a-plan look crossed her face. "No, I'll need to go put Tikki to bed and let my parents know I'm safe. But I know someone who _does _know you and is definitely willing to feed a stray cat whenever she comes across one."

His eyes lit up. The look of excitement and relief on his face melted her heart. "Ladybug, I don't know what to say."

She pulled him into a warm hug and tried to let him feel the steady drumming of her heart. "You don't have to say anything. I think you're perfect just the way you are."

"Thanks," he managed.

She backed up and held out her fist with a cocky grin. "No matter what else, we got an amok, we got an akuma, we saved London _and _Paris tonight. Pound it." He half-heartedly lifted his fist to hers. She pecked him on the cheek and called, "I'll be in touch!" as she swung off into the night sky.

He stood in the dark street, feeling naked in his Marinette-made Chat Noir suit without his ring. He looked up at the stars and felt the tears starting to prickle behind his eyes again. But, before he could lose himself to his emotion, he heard three familiar voices call, "Chat Noir?"

Tom and Sabine were racing across the street from the bakery, and Marinette wasn't far behind them. They wrapped their arms around him, and he was enveloped in that feeling of belonging that he'd only felt with them. "Marinette said you needed help," Tom muttered as he picked up his wife, daughter, and Chat in one powerful motion. He squeezed the air out of all of them, then gently put them back on their feet.

They didn't ask questions. They didn't take a second look at Chat's not-Chat-outfit. They just walked him into the bakery, put a chair underneath him, and Sabine slid a bowl of bouillabaisse in front of him. His stomach was raw and aching, and he lifted a spoonful of broth to his lips. It was like nectar from the Gods. He drained the bowl and found a fresh plate of Croque Monsieur immediately in its place. He sunk a fork into the soft bread and watched the cheese string as he pulled it away. His heart grieved as he thought about cheese, knowing Plagg wasn't there to steal it from him. He devoured the sandwich as quickly as the bouillabaisse and tried to appreciate the cheese the way Plagg would have wanted him to. The plate was replaced with a salmon pie. He was on his third slice when he finally came up for air.

"Th-Thanks," he muttered around his full mouth. Sabine merely smiled. Tom came back in the room—which startled Chat, as he hadn't noticed that Tom had even left—and put his hands on his hips.

"Well, we got it ready," he boomed.

"What?" Chat asked, swallowing hard.

"The couch. Sorry, we don't have a guest bedroom."

Marinette skipped down the steps just behind her father. "Here you go," she said, tossing Chat a pair of black satin pajamas that still had a few long threads hanging from the seams.

"Hang on, did you just _make _these?"

She blushed. "Well, I had the fabric…" she pulled a long strip with eyeholes in it and tossed it on top of the pajamas. "Besides, I didn't think you'd want to sleep in that hard mask."

The kindness wrapped around him like a warm blanket. He followed Marinette to the main living level and she showed him to the bathroom, where Tom had laid out a clean toothbrush, razor, and bar of soap. Marinette gave him a towel and some privacy. Thirty minutes later, he felt like a new man—his stomach full, his body clean and clothed in the amazing softness of the new pajamas and the matching mask. Marinette—now dressed in her own pajamas—was sitting on the chair next to the couch made up with sheets, pillows, and blankets. He sunk into the soft spot beside her and pulled his knees to his chest. She reached over and slipped her hand into his hair and her fingers gently raked his scalp. It had an instantaneous relaxing effect. He propped a pillow under his head and stretched his legs out across the couch.

"You can't imagine how good this feels," he muttered as he leaned into her touch. He wasn't just talking about the way her fingers were sliding through his hair.

"I'm glad," she responded in a soft voice, understanding everything he meant.

A few hours later, he jolted upright, startled by a dream of Lila's icy laugh. He looked around and regained his bearings. He was on the edge of Marinette's couch. She was curled in a ball on the chair, her arm still slung over the edge of the couch and flopped on his pillow—she'd clearly fallen asleep still stroking his head. Her hair was a tangled mess across her face. Her lips were parted in a soft snore. She was even drooling just a little bit. He thought she looked like an angel.

Adrien scooped her up in his arms. She was so tiny that even without super strength, it wasn't difficult to lift her. He climbed the staircase to her bedroom, pushed open the trap door, and set her gently on her bed. He drew the blanket up to her chin, reached down, brushed his lips against her forehead, and started to leave when a sleepy hand slipped into his.

"Chat," she murmured in her half-asleep state.

He hesitated.

"Chat," she said clearer this time, "you can stay."

He tried to be steadfast, but it was too hard. He sat at the foot of her bed and pulled his knees up. She tossed an extra blanket to him, then shifted so that there was a wide enough space for him to curl up. He pulled the blanket up to his nose. It smelled like her—warm, floral, and sweet. He felt an unusual but incredible sensation in his chest—it was as if his heart was growing, filling him with light and peace. It wasn't the heart-racing, gut-punch feeling he got when he was with Ladybug, but it was welcoming and hopeful and very _real._ He had no better word for it than 'love,' though it was deeper and more special than anything he'd ever felt before.

He took her hand and closed his eyes. This time, when sleep washed over him, the dreams were of much softer things.

* * *

His hand was still in hers when Marinette awoke sometime in the mid-morning. She looked at that beautiful hand of his and realized she'd never seen them without the gloves. There was a tan line around his ring finger. She reached up and felt her own earrings and realized how much they meant to her. She knew Chat must be feeling the loss of the miraculous ten times worse than what he let on. She knew how important being Chat was to him.

He was still sleeping so peacefully. His face was buried in the puddle of blankets at the foot of her bed, and Marinette realized with a start that the satin mask she'd made so hastily the night before had slipped off his face during the night. If he hadn't been turned away from her, she'd have seen his face when she opened her eyes. She immediately covered her face with her hands and, as quietly as possible, got out of bed. She went downstairs to see her mother and father in the bakery kitchen, already done with the day's wares and working on a special cake order.

"Good morning," Marinette yawned.

"Good morning, dear," Sabine smiled as she kissed her daughter's cheek. "Is our guest of honor doing well? I heard him take you upstairs last night. That was awfully sweet of him."

Marinette blushed and turned to her father, "I promise nothing happened—"

He just laughed and cut her off with a finger. "I trust you, Marinette. Besides, a true father knows when there's a kid in turmoil. I would've woken you up and made you go back down and sit with him all night if he hadn't fallen asleep in your room."

Marinette smiled at him. "Thanks. Can I take some breakfast to him?"

Her parents smiled and nodded and handed her a tray with juice, yogurt, fresh croissants, fruit, cheese, and soft-boiled eggs. It was way more food than she thought she needed, but Sabine gave a little half-grin and shooed her daughter out the door.

Marinette got the idea part way up the stairs and changed her trajectory to the second-story window. "Tikki," she whispered, "spots on."

* * *

Adrien felt Marinette jostle the bed as she left the room and almost jumped up after her, but then he realized his mask had slipped from his face in the night. He stretched on the nest of blankets under him and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. Marinette's room was soft and pink. Light streamed in from the window and skylight. He stood up and descended to the main floor of her room and walked around for a minute, enjoying the pictures on her walls. There were quite a few of Adrien, Alya, Nino, and their other school friends. When he'd finished his circuit, he noticed a flash of light reflecting off of what was clearly a glass photo frame tucked under Marinette's bed. He didn't want to invade her privacy, but curiosity got the better of him and he climbed the stairs to retrieve it.

It was him. It was Chat Noir, with his ruffled blonde hair and quirky grin. But there was another photo, tucked under his picture in the frame. He slipped it out—it was a picture of him, Adrien, giving a little wave. Why would this picture be under Marinette's bed? And why would she put a picture of Chat on top? He heard footsteps below him, so he quickly slipped the pictures back in the frame and set it underneath her bed.

A moment later, however, he was surprised when it wasn't Marinette coming up the stairs, it was a little knock on the skylight to the balcony that drew his attention. He pushed it open and bright blue eyes surrounded by a halo of golden sunlight shined down on him from above.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she crooned and dropped down to the room. One hand expertly balanced a breakfast tray loaded with all of Adrien's favorite things.

"Ladybug!" he sighed. She placed the breakfast tray on the chaise and gave him a hug.

"I came to check on you and Marinette said you were still up here sleeping, so I thought I'd surprise you."

He smiled. "Best surprise ever." She blushed and sat down in the computer chair while Chat Noir started breakfast. "Hey, have you eaten yet today? This is delicious, and there's plenty for both of us," he said. She graciously took a croissant and started eating.

"Mmm," she sighed, "Dupain's croissants are the best in Paris."

"Yes they are," he grinned. "Sometimes I think it's not fair."

She raised her eyebrow, "What's not fair?"

"How Marinette seemed to get _all _the talent."

Ladybug's cheeks tinted pink under her mask. "Marinette? Yeah, I mean, she's good at sewing and stuff, but sometimes she's kind of clumsy…"

Chat Noir's brow furrowed, "That's a little harsh."

Ladybug tried to laugh, "No, no, I mean, Marinette's totally awesome. She makes me laugh, is all."

Chat Noir's smile returned. "She makes me laugh too."

"I'm glad to hear it." They ate in silence for several minutes. "Have you checked in with your… parents?" she finally asked.

He shrugged. "I let my dad know I was coming back to Paris. Then I turned off my phone. It was him that made me go to London in the first place; I'm not in a rush to go home."

"Well, maybe it's a good idea just to let them know where you're at, so they won't worry," she continued.

He shook his head, "Ladybug, not everyone has that kind of support system at home."

She pushed the tray aside so she could sit next to him on the chaise. She put her arm around him. "I know you can stay here as long as you need. And when you're ready to face them, if you want, I'll be there, by your side."

"You mean you'd come home? To my home? With me? Without my mask?"

She pondered it carefully, then said, "Yes. If that's what you need. I'll drop my mask, too, if you ask me to."

He looked into those sparkling bluebell eyes for a very, very long time. He reached up and gently touched her cheek. She didn't blink, didn't shy away from him. "Ladybug," he whispered, "that… that means everything to me. But we both know that's a terrible idea."

She gave a little half-grin, "A bug can hope, right?"

The electricity between the two of them tamed, and he relaxed. "I… I need to talk to you about… someone."

She blinked rapidly. "What? Who?"

"Marinette. She and I have been getting much closer this week, and last night, I felt something I didn't understand before. I'm not saying I don't love you—my feelings _there _haven't changed. But, when I'm with Marinette, it's like I've come home. I need Marinette in my life, and I think… I think I need her as more than just a friend."

Ladybug reached out and squeezed his hand. "You'll always have me, Kitty."

"I… I want to tell Marinette. I want to tell her everything." Ladybug bit her lip and stiffened. "I know you said only one person," he rushed now, "and I know yesterday Nino found out my identity on accident because he was there when Lila…well… But I just… really wanted to…"

"Yes," she interrupted, "you have my permission. You can share your identity with Marinette, if that's who you've chosen."

Green eyes met blue with a connection of understanding, love, and respect. "It is. She is. She's the one."

A tear slipped down Ladybug's mask and into her smiling lips. "I'm so glad you've found her." She hugged him again, and then stood. "I'm going to be tracking Lila. I'm just a phone call away."

He nodded and kissed her on her cheeks. "Thanks for everything, LB."

She winked and gave a grandiose, Chat-Noir-style bow. "Anything for you, Mi'kitty!" She tossed her yo-yo out the skylight and took off. Adrien gathered the breakfast dishes and went downstairs to return them to the kitchen and then changed back into his amazing Marinette-made Chat suit. When he exited the bathroom, Marinette was curled up on the couch, hand stitching some project.

"Good morning, Chat!" she said as she stretched out.

"Good morning, Marinette," he responded.

"Did you get enough breakfast?" she asked politely. He nodded. "Say, I've got a… kind of a morning routine… that I've been working on," she said, "would you like to come with me?"

"Morning routine? That sounds intriguing."

She laughed. "Let me just go grab my gloves."

* * *

Carapace had no clue what he was doing, but he was determined to do it anyway. Wayzz had taught him how to use his shield to call the others, and they'd all shown up. "So, uh, thanks for coming," he started stupidly. Everyone was looking at him like they expected him to say something of value and he was coming up short. "So… uh… yeah, last night was pretty bad…"

"That's the understatement of the year," Pegasus retorted.

"Wait, what happened?" King Monkey asked, scratching his head.

They all laughed, but Ryuko was quick to notice, "Yeah, you and Rena weren't there, were you?"

The two of them shook their heads. They took twenty minutes to each tell their individual perspectives on the previous days' events. Carapace went last, and when he got to the part where Chat Noir had said Lila's name, everyone was silent.

"I still am having a hard time believing it was _Lila,_" Pegasus sighed.

"Believe it," Ryuko said through the hard edge of gritted teeth.

"I mean, I knew she had that… condition, or whatever," he continued, "but I didn't think she'd turn full on supervillain."

"She duped a lot of people," Rena Rouge added, dropping her head, "myself most of all. All this time, Ladybug, _and Marinette, _have been warning us about her, and I made excuses for the… the… person."

They laughed at Rena's almost-insult. Carapace patted Rena's back. "You didn't do anything wrong. Ladybug said something last night that we'd all do well to remember—this isn't your fault. This isn't any of our faults. This is Hawkmoth and Mayura and Lila's fault, one-hundred-percent. We can't change the past, but we can change how we're going to react now that we know the truth." They nodded their agreement. "And that's when Lila stole Chat's miraculous."

Rena and King Monkey gasped. "Wait, _what?"_

Ryuko nodded solemnly.

"Guys, we've got to do something about this," Carapace said, getting to his feet and starting pacing. "We've got to figure out how to help, how to get his miraculous back, and beat Lila once and for all."

"Well, what do we know about our opponent?" Ryuko started. "When I'm preparing for a big fencing tournament or something, I study my opponent."

"She's a liar," Rena Rouge spat. "She even lies about lying."

"Ladybug said she's been training with Mayura," King Monkey offered.

"And she's been targeting Chat Noir in specific," Carapace added.

"She's also a model for Gabriel Agreste, and has been spending time with Adrien in England the last week and a half," Pegasus added. When everyone looked at him blankly, he raised an eyebrow, "What? Doesn't everyone read _Paris Teen Weekly?_" They all laughed.

"But that's really critical information," Ryuko acknowledged. "We know where she is, who she's spending her time with, and what she's been doing."

"And remember back at the end of school, she posted online about dating Adrien?" Rena Rouge reminded them, "she's been trying to get Adrien to date her for a while now."

"Even longer than that," Ryuko sneered. "She's been after him for months.

"And Marinette." Rena Rouge interjected.

"Again, critical information. We know who she's targeting."

"So what do we do about it?" King Monkey asked.

"Well, we'll need to have guards on Marinette and Adrien at all times. Let's find out when she's coming back to Paris, because as I understand, she's still in London," Ryuko started.

"I'll keep an eye on the news outlets," Pegasus volunteered.

"Leave Marinette to me," Rena Rouge raised her hand.

"And I'll watch out for Adrien," Carapace muttered. "I owe him that much."

King Monkey stood and started spinning his jingu bang, "Guys, let's do some serious training—we need to be ready when she comes back."

* * *

It'd been over a week since Adrien had worked up a sweat like this, and it felt great. Not to mention the stress he was able to release into the punching bag.

"I've _got _to get me one of these," he laughed as he pummeled the thing with a series of hits and kicks.

"I'll try to remember that for your birthday gift," Marinette laughed.

He adjusted his mask—an increasingly annoying act, as he was accustomed to not worrying about his mask or ears—and finished his set, then flopped onto the bench next to Marinette, panting.

"What's next?"

"A break," she said with a smile. "I mean, I've really been working hard this summer, but you put me to shame. Are you… a _gym rat?"_

He clutched his chest in mock pain, "Who you calling a _rat_?"

They both laughed. She stood and walked to the mat and started doing some Tai Chi. Slow and steady, breathing and centering herself. Chat checked his mask again and stood behind her and started mirroring her motions. It was a very peaceful way to cool down from an intense workout.

"So-rock climbing, fencing, kickboxing, _and _Tai Chi; is there anything you _don't _do?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," she smirked, meeting his eyes in the mirror on the wall, "I don't play the piano." He chuckled. She shrugged. "I guess I got sick of all the clumsiness and feeling so _weak_ whenever there was an akuma attack. I've been really lucky this year—I know there's been more than one butterfly sent in my direction—not to mention all the times you saved me, whether you were aware of them or not. I figured it was time to up my training."

He was surprised at her drive. "Hm, when most people decide to 'up their training,' they don't take on four new sports in one summer."

She blushed slightly, "I couldn't decide which would be the most beneficial. Besides, Alya's sister was itching to teach us both kickboxing, and Kagami has been a brilliant teacher for fencing and Tai Chi—" he choked when she said the word 'Kagami.' "What?"

"_Kagami _taught you fencing and Tai Chi?"

"Yeah… why?"

"For how long?"

"I dunno, it's been a while now. At least since school got out, maybe longer. I didn't know you even knew her."

He swallowed hard and put a little too much force into his Tai Chi. "Well… she's been akumatized a couple times," he said with a little shrug. "I was just wondering why you didn't ask Adrien."

A laugh gurgled in her throat. "Yeah, _that _would have been a disaster."

They finished their cool-down and Marinette cleaned up their boxing and fencing gear. He took her bag from her and swung it over his shoulder. They started walking back to the bakery; it wasn't far. "Why would it have been a disaster?" he asked. She smiled and tried to change the subject.

"Have you heard from Ladybug today?"

"I've honestly been too scared to turn on my phone. I didn't exactly tell my father where I was going to be."

She looked at him with concern in her eyes, but didn't judge him. "Are you… safe? At home?"

He nodded, "More or less. It's just not my favorite place, and I'm not particularly eager to try to explain what I've been doing the last twenty-four hours."

She got a wicked little grin on her face, "You should take home some chocolate croissants. Or macarons! Macarons make everything better."

He laughed. "I might just do that."

"But in seriousness, Chat, my parents and I can help you out. They're really good at that kind of thing."

They arrived at the bakery and checked in with Marinette's parents, grabbed some sandwiches, then climbed up to her bedroom. She put her gear away and grabbed the sewing project she'd been working on earlier. The room was very quiet. Chat sat on her chaise and was tempted to pull out his phone to see if Ladybug had made any progress on the Lila front, but the questions he was dying to ask Marinette started burning a hole in his chest.

"Marinette," he said quietly. She looked up from her project with soft eyes and a gentle smile, "can we talk?"

She chuckled. "I thought that's what we were doing."

He smirked. "I… need to tell you something… something really important." She put the project down and leaned forward. He swallowed hard. Why did she have to look at him like that? This was hard enough as it was without those beautiful eyes scanning his soul. "But before I can, I need to know… why would Adrien teaching you fencing be a disaster? And why do you have a picture of him under a picture of me under your bed?"

Her face drained of all color. He didn't like it. "Ch-Ch-Chat," she stammered. Her breathing quickened and she looked like she might be sick.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to—" he tried, realizing this might have been a more sensitive subject than he'd previously thought.

But she waved that comment away. "Just let me get my heart rate back to normal," she whispered, taking some deep breaths. "You deserve to know." He sunk back into the chaise patiently. She closed her eyes. "I'm… in love with Adrien." He gasped. "He and I go to the same school, so don't think I'm just another crazy fangirl. We've gotten to know each other through this year. But I've never been able to tell him. I can't see straight around that boy. I'm pretty sure he thinks I hate him or something…"

Chat was processing as fast as he could, but it wasn't nearly fast enough. "So he's… the boy who… jerkface…"

She pressed her lips into a line. "He's no jerkface. He's kind and caring and smart and funny. The times my heart broke were my fault, _all my fault. _He never knew because I couldn't tell him."

Memories were swishing through Chat's brain like a hyper-speed movie. The way Marinette would clam up; the ridiculous day at the Grévin Wax Museum; the handwriting on the valentine; the way she could talk to him when he was Chat Noir, but never as Adrien; Nino's voice saying 'hung up on you…'

"Why? Why didn't you just say something?"

"I tried, Chat, I tried so hard. But every time I got close, something awful happened. And then… he told me he was in love with someone else."

Chat's eyes widened in horror. "What? When?"

"Well, never in so many words… there was this awful time when we were at a wax museum and playing jokes on each other and I was trying to practice telling him how I felt and… oh Chat, I was the worst possible me I've ever been… and when I tried to apologize and tell him exactly how I felt, he said 'the girl I love…' talking about someone else. I thought he meant Kagami, and I thought they were dating, but about a week ago, she told me they weren't. But that very same day, there was this press conference—" Marinette gulped back tears that were threatening to start— "and Adrien… said he'd left his heart in Paris. That's when I knew. It wasn't me, it wasn't Kagami… I don't know who it is, and it doesn't really matter."

"That was the day the akuma tried to get you," he muttered, staring at his hands.

"Yeah. And the day _you _saved me," she said quietly, with a little sniffle. He looked up at her and saw those blazing eyes. "And the day that I put your picture in the frame."

He realized what she was trying to say. "So… you're over him?"

She sighed. "I wish it were that easy. I want to be."

He thought of Ladybug and how desperately he wanted to move on, but just couldn't. He thought about her head on his shoulder, her hand in his on top of Tower Bridge, the way she'd screamed his name, the way _she'd kissed him._ "I know exactly how you feel," he said softly. He reached out and took her hand in his.

"Chat," she muttered, "I think I'm falling for you too." She was looking at their intertwined hands and the way they fit so beautifully together. "When we're together, it feels so _right _and easy. If I had the choice, it'd be you, every time."

"But… you don't have that choice, do you."

She shook her head.

"I know; I don't have it either. Because if I could, I'd choose you, Marinette. But… Ladybug…"

She sobbed silently. "And Adrien…"

They pulled each other into a hug and didn't let go for a very, very long time.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to come with you?" Sabine Cheng asked again.

Chat Noir shook his head. "Don't take it wrong; it's a secret identity thing."

She gave him a hug and then backed up to afford him more personal space. "OK, son," Tom boomed, "but if you get any grief from your parents, you call me, and I don't care who they are…"

Chat laughed. The way Tom called him 'son' made his heart swell with joy. Marinette made good on her suggestion and handed him a stack of Dupain Bakery's finest wares. "Thank you all so much, for everything," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. Steeling himself against the inevitable encounter, he gave Marinette a quick kiss on the cheek and shook Tom's hand, then strode boldly out the front door. He walked a few blocks like that before ducking into a public toilet to change into the massive T-shirt Mr. Dupain had given him. He tucked his amazing Chat costume into the bag next to the macarons and walked the rest of the way home. The gates of the mansion had never felt more imposing. He realized he didn't have his key card, having left everything at the hotel in London, so he pushed the buzzer.

"Yes?"

"Gerard? Is that you?" Adrien asked to the camera.

"Adrien!" the voice gasped and the gates slid open at once. He'd only made it a few steps up the drive when the front door flew open and Adrien's bodyguard barreled out toward him. He threw his arms around him and lifted him off his feet.

"Heh, I never knew you cared," Adrien managed through his bodyguard's tight embrace. He grunted and put Adrien down. Adrien extracted a box of goodies for him and together they entered the austere foyer. Gerard was barreling down the stairs, looking disheveled and lost.

"Adrien!" he called again, and the sound of his name triggered the door to his father's atelier to burst open and two police officers, followed by Nathalie, to come pouring out.

"Adrien! You're safe!" Officer Raincomprix boomed and raced toward him to confirm his findings with his hands.

Nathalie walked toward him timidly, at first making to reach for him, but then pulling her hand back. "Thank you for your services, Officers, but we won't be needing them any longer," she ordered. Officer Raincomprix scowled.

"I'm going to need some signatures for my paperwork," he huffed. "And there's a lot of people who are worried about Adrien that deserve to know where he was."

Adrien's eyes narrowed at Nathalie. He hadn't seen her in days, although she was supposed to be his chaperone. She'd abandoned him in London, sided with Lila, and forced him to work with her over and over. No, he didn't think Nathalie deserved to know anything more about him from now on.

"I needed some time and space," Adrien said firmly to the police officer. "But I was safe."

Nathalie clicked her tongue at Officer Raincomprix and his partner, and said, "Gerard will help you finish filling out your paperwork, and then you will kindly exit the premises."

Officer Raincomprix jutted out his jaw in frustration but nodded at his partner and the two followed Gerard upstairs to the butler's pantry.

Nathalie and Adrien stood there, scowling at each other for a long moment. "We should go visit with your father," she said at last. "He will be eager to see you."

Adrien had once quite liked Nathalie. He'd even thought she'd make his father happy and would have welcomed her as a step-mother. But in the last few months, she'd changed. She'd been so sick for a while, and even when her body healed, it was as if her heart had been frozen. There was no more warmness, no more understanding favors, no more waves or smiles. But she was still his father's assistant and one of the few that had jurisdiction over his schedule, and Adrien was not planning to rebel against her or his father—his mother had raised him better than that.

He followed Nathalie into the atelier where his father was standing like a statue.

"Son?" Adrien gave a little frown at the moniker; it was cold, not like the way Tom Dupain said it.

"Father," he said, straightening up into the massive T-shirt and sweat pants.

"I am… pleased you are safe."

Adrien bit his lip, "Can I make one request?" His father gazed over his glasses at him in a piercing stare. "Please don't make me work with Lila Rossi anymore."

His eyes were masked, but his lips turned down, "No, I don't think _anyone _from _Gabriel _brands will be working with Ms. Rossi any more. She… was supposed to check in with Nathalie after the sentimonster attack, but she didn't. Upon further inspection, we discovered she stole a great deal…from the company. We found her room completely barren. She was supposed to come back to Paris with Nathalie, but never showed up for the train. Needless to say, her mother is suing for child endangerment, but you needn't worry about that."

Adrien could hear Nathalie's teeth grinding beside him. Adrien looked back and forth between his father and Nathalie. They were glaring at each other in the most peculiar manner. "So… can I go change, then?"

His father nodded, but before Adrien could leave the room, he said, "Son, I do apologize for making you work with that girl. I sorely mistrusted her."

Adrien frowned, "She's always been dishonest. Dishonest people aren't trustworthy."

His father's eye twitched slightly, but Adrien understood that he was free to go.

* * *

Nino pulled harder on the rope, trying to keep the slack at a minimum, but Adrien was climbing the wall so fast, he couldn't keep up. "You mean she was in love with me from practically the day we met? And you never said a word?" he yelled down to his friend.

"Well, I was sworn to secrecy. Trust me, if you'd been in my position, you wouldn't have said anything either."

"But if you'd told me, I could've done something about it. Maybe not broken her heart."

Nino's chest puffed out slightly, "Yeah, but Adrien, _would _you have done something about it? It's not like you were planning to date her."

Adrien paused his ascent on the climbing wall to drop his head. "No, I wasn't planning on dating her. I've been so focused on Ladybug that Marinette totally slipped my notice. It wasn't until I started spending time with her as Chat that I recognized how special she was."

"Hey now, bro," Nino said tersely, "don't be so hard on yourself. You're a good friend, you've always been nice to her."

He laughed bitterly but started climbing again. "There was this day, the first day of my trip to London, when I heard her mom had been akumatized and I came back to check on her. Marinette told me the akuma had been after her, but her mom had saved her from it last second. I asked her why she'd felt so hurt that an akuma would target her, and she told me it was a boy. I called him jerkface. That's what I am, Nino; I'm a jerkface. I'm a blind idiot!"

"Well, it's not too late, is it? Why don't you ask her out or apologize or something?"

Adrien paused again and frowned in thought. "I'm coming down," he muttered, and Nino leaned into the rope so his friend could rappel to the ground. "Maybe, maybe I could ask her out. Not right away, of course; I wouldn't want her to think Chat had told me how she feels. But we could do some group things and I could take her to the movies or something…"

Nino gave him a thumbs-up. "That sounds good."

"But…" Nino sighed as Adrien dove into another rant, "what about Ladybug? Last I saw _her, _we held hands. She was so worried about me, too, when she thought I was in the crowd attacked by that sentimonster. I think _she _might have feelings for me as well, and if I ask Marinette out, I'll jeopardize any chance I have with Ladybug."

Nino and Adrien re-strung the rope so Nino could take his turn on Adrien's climbing wall. He wasn't nearly as good of a climber as Adrien was, but it was fun and passed the time. "Well, dude, I don't know what to tell you. Alya's so much better with this kind of thing than I am."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks, _bro_." Adrien fell silent for a few minutes and Nino slowly started climbing, but then he groaned again. "I messed this all up!"

Nino suppressed a chuckle. "She's really gotten under your skin!"

"She _has_," Adrien moaned, "I really, really like her, Nino. Did I tell you we kissed?"

"Uh… wait, Marinette or Ladybug?"

"Marinette. Well, and Ladybug too, I guess, but you were there for that."

"You kissed Marinette?"

"Well, Chat Noir did."

Nino was glad he was facing the wall because he was grinning from ear-to-ear trying to prevent himself from laughing at the ridiculousness of Adrien's conundrum. "So. Chat Noir kissed Marinette. When?"

"The day I was telling you about—after her mom got akumatized. And… a few times after that too."

"Dude!" but Nino paused, "What was it like?"

"Really great." Nino couldn't hold it back any more—he burst out laughing so hard he almost fell off the wall. "Hey!" Adrien scoffed.

"Sorry man," Nino hiccupped.

"I really like her! I was about to tell her my identity and everything. But I just _had _to know how she felt about me first…"

"Wait, you were going to tell her you're Chat Noir?"

Adrien nodded solemnly. Nino gave up on the fruitless climb and jumped to the floor. "When I found out how deep her feelings were, though, I couldn't do it. I couldn't add to her burden. She'd be so heartbroken if she found out she'd been kissing Adrien in disguise."

Nino shook his head and raised his eyebrows. "You don't know that; she might've been really happy."

He shrugged, "I doubt that. Besides, it felt like I would have been taking advantage of her. I just couldn't do that. Not to my princess."

"So you didn't tell her."

"No."

"Do you think you ever will?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I hope so, someday."

"And until then?"

"Until then, I guess I'll just have to settle for being really great friends with Marinette _and _Ladybug." Adrien's head fell in pain.

Nino patted his shoulder. "That's the best basis for any relationship, dude. Alya and I were friends long before we started dating. It's way better that way. I promise." Adrien just nodded.

"Master Dude!" a little voice piped from Adrien's desk. It made both Adrien and Nino jump.

"Oh! Wayzz, sorry man, I'm just not accustomed to having a kwami with me all the time," Nino laughed.

The two boys went to see what Wayzz was doing. "I've been monitoring the news reports, both here on the computer _and _using the magic of the miraculous. I just sensed something big."

"Mayura? Hawkmoth? Jeune Paonne?"

Wayzz shook his head, "No, and I already told you, I've never been able to locate Mayura or Hawkmoth; they've ordered their kwamis into secrecy. Jeune Paonne never thought to do that with Duusu, so that's why I've been able to locate her a few times. But it was something else—not a miraculous holder. I can't be certain without checking the footage."

"There's footage? Turn it on!" Adrien gasped. Wayzz had to use his whole body to move Adrien's mouse, but was able to pull up some recent news footage from London.

"_There's been a major disaster at the Heathrow Airport," _the reporter was explaining as aerial drone footage was displayed, "_Some kind of explosion has baffled investigators. The jumbo jet was refueling before it was to head to New York, but in a matter of seconds, suffered catastrophic damage. Miraculously, there appear to be no injuries. However, flights have been delayed, rerouted, or cancelled until investigators have finished their work and the runway has been cleared."_

Adrien gasped at the pictures on the screen. It looked as if an entire 757 had been disintegrated, taking a great deal of tarmac with it. "Wait… I know that kind of destruction… there's only one creature who can do that…" Wayzz smiled and nodded at Adrien. "It doesn't look very tidy; he must have done it himself. Wayzz," he pressed on in a torrent of thoughts and words, "do you think he's fighting her?" Wayzz nodded again. "Trying to prevent her from running away to New York?" Wayzz nodded once more, wisely.

Nino finally interjected, "_Who?"_

Adrien and Wayzz grinned simultaneously and answered together, "Plagg!"

* * *

_**Author's Note:** We're winding down to the last few chapters. Hang on for the ride!_


	11. Chapter 11

**_Author's Note: _**_Dear readers, you and I both owe a huge thank you to my BFF, Airie, for helping this chapter come to life. Please, enjoy! (And reviews are more than welcome!)_

* * *

Chapter 11

"Do you think it will work?"

"There's only one way to find out. Just hit send."

**Alya: Hey girl, u there? Nino and I aren't doing so great and I need a friend. **

"Ok, I sent it."

"I guess we have to wait."

Nino and Alya held hands and pretended to watch the news as they tried to ignore Alya's phone. They both jumped about a foot when it made the telltale "ding" of a new text message.

**Lila: what's up?**

"Yes!" they both gasped. Alya crafted her well-rehearsed text:

**Alya: well, I saw on the news that u lost your job (sry!), and he actually sided with stupid Gabriel Agreste! Can u believe it? I'm so mad at him. **

**Alya: I was like, lila's our friend and we know her. But for some weird reason he's being all horrible to u and I can't get him to shut up**

Lila's responses came suddenly. Nino and Alya triumphantly high-fived.

**Lila: don't believe a word he says. Gabriel Agreste used me and abandoned me in England. I'm going to sue his pants off**

**Lila: so glad I have u as a friend**

**Lila: have u heard from Adrien recently?**

**Alya: nino won't stop hanging out with him. Says he's going through a hard time.**

**Lila: did he say anything about me?**

**Alya: no, I'm not talking to him either**

**Lila: yeah, I broke up with him when he cheated on me w/ ladybug**

"Oh, she's falling for it!" Nino gasped, "ok, let's see what kind of information we can get from her…"

**Alya: no, that jerk!**

**Lila: yeah, he's awful. I don't know what I ever saw in him. And ladybug's even worse. Are u still writing that blog?**

**Alya: ya, wanna give me an interview about ladybug's fall from grace?**

Lila didn't respond for a few minutes. "Dang, we pushed too hard," Nino fretted. Suddenly, Alya's phone started ringing. "Whoops, don't let her know I'm here!" Alya pushed turned it to speaker phone and leaned back on Nino's bed.

"Hey girl," Alya answered expertly, giving Nino a hard look.

"Alya? I… I'd love to give you an interview. Ladybug's not the person everyone thinks she is." Her voice cracked. Was that strain?

Alya gave a little sigh, "I've been noticing that recently too. But I don't have a lot of evidence, and a good reporter always checks her facts."

Lila laughed, "Oh, I can get you _ample _facts."

"Where? When?"

"That's just the problem; when _Gabriel _brands dumped me, they abandoned me and I'm stuck in London. Do you think you could… I dunno, I wouldn't want to take advantage of a friendship…"

"What do you need, Lila?"

"Just… a few hundred Euros… once we post your exposé, of course, the LadyBlog will be overrun with sponsorships and publicity, and I'll never forget your decency…"

"Hey, girl, you don't have to beg. I'm not rolling in the dough—babysitting unfortunately doesn't pay very well—but let me see what I can do. Do you have an address?"

"I'll text you the info." Nino's eyes popped and he gave a silent thumbs-up.

"We'll figure out how to get you home, hun, and then we can work on clearing your poor name."

"Thanks, Alya. It's been so hard these last few days. Gabriel Agreste and stupid Nathalie are bent on ruining me… I'm pretty sure it's because I was overtaking Adrien as their top model. I didn't want to; Adrien and I were, as you know, _very _close, but the boy just wouldn't take modeling seriously. Working with him was so hard sometimes. He's such a diva—so picky and demanding! Just between you and me, the apple didn't fall far from the Agreste tree. But Gabriel insists on spoiling that boy and when they saw how a _real _model works, they dumped me. Of course, my mother is suing, and as soon as I get back, the world will find out the truth."

"You're so brave!" Alya crooned with a wink to Nino. "I can't believe they'd treat you so bad. Well, I mean, I do, but still. That must have been _so _hard."

"I'd love to have you as a witness, Alya," she pleaded over the phone.

"I'd be happy to do what I can!"

"I won't forget it. And when I succeed, my friends succeed too. I can't wait to give you your big break."

"Thanks, Lila!"

"I watch out for my friends," she hissed.

Alya and Nino shuddered, but Alya kept her voice light. "Well, I gotta run. Marinette said she had something to talk about—"

"Marinette? You're still hanging out with _her?"_

"Well, not excessively."

"Alya… I hate to be the one to tell you this, but _she's dangerous._"

"Uh, what?"

"Yeah, I can't give you all the details right now, but… just be really careful, ok?"

"Uh, ok, Lila, I will be..."

"Good. I'll call you later. Get the cash as soon as you can."

"Ok, Bye then," Alya tried to say, but Lila hung up the phone. Nino and Alya smiled at each other for a moment before both letting out a triumphant wave.

"Lila fell _straight _into our trap! Who should we tell first?" Alya laughed.

"I think our boy Chat Noir deserves a bit of good news." Alya nodded.

"What's his number?" she asked.

"Nice try. You know I'll never betray his secret."

Her eyes softened and she booped his nose. "That's right. And that's why I love you."

* * *

"Perfect timing, Nino!" Adrien welcomed his friend. "I need your help lifting this thing." Adrien was on a step ladder, finishing screwing a heavy-duty-hook into the ceiling next to the spiral staircase that led to his library.

"Dude," he sighed, jogging to his friend's side and helping him hoist the massive punching bag so Adrien could hang it from the hook, "don't you have enough toys in here?"

Adrien laughed. "Marinette's got me _hooked_," he joked as he tapped the hook hanging from the ceiling. He jumped to the ground gracefully and put the step ladder away.

"I've got good news," Nino offered. Adrien was all ears as Nino recounted the progress Alya and he had made with Lila.

"That's fantastic!" he responded once Nino had finished his story. "We should try to see if we can get her back to Paris. It'll be a lot easier to face her here, on our terms."

"I agree. Were you able to make any headway with the business-side of things?"

Adrien smirked, blew hot air on his fingernails and polished them on his shirt with flair. "Child's play. Next time give me a job fit for a Black Cat." Adrien retrieved his boxing gloves from his desk and tested out his new punching bag. Nino sat down and spun in the computer chair.

"So I guess now we just wait for her to get desperate enough to ask for help."

"Yep, should be easy enough," Adrien puffed through his decimation of the punching bag. "I'll have my miraculous back in no time."

Nino leaned back and put his legs up on the desk. "So whatchya wanna do while we wait?"

Adrien shrugged, "Maybe take Marinette and Alya to the movies?"

Nino raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, both of Adrien's and Nino's phones buzzed in tandem.

"Oh shoot," Nino gasped, looking at the phone. "AkumaAlert!"

Adrien ripped the glove off his hand and dove for his silver cell phone on the desk. Ladybug answered his call after the first ring. "I can come, just give me three minutes-" he panted, already pulling off his shirt.

"Slow down, Kitty, it's just Monsieur Ramier again; I can handle this."  
"Whatever, I'm on my way."

She paused, "Is… Nino there?"

He felt like a knife had just cut through his stomach. "Yeah…"

"Would you bring him with?" Adrien didn't respond. "You know… just as a precaution…" she added as an afterthought.

"Sure," he said blandly.

"Thanks, see you soon," and the line went dead. He slowed down, but kept changing.  
"What'd she say?" Nino asked, on the balls of his feet.

"She wants you."

Nino leapt for joy and called, "Wayzz, shell on!" oblivious to the hurt that had settled into Adrien's features.

* * *

Chat Noir refused to let Nino carry him, and chose to ride his bike instead. Still, he arrived in time to see Ladybug swinging to the top of the Eiffel Tower to avoid the pigeons that were pelting at her. He watched her motions with envy, but then shook his head and tried to calculate how to get up there. He raced to the bottom level and called an elevator. It felt excruciatingly slow as it clattered upward, and when it finally reached the top, he burst through the door with his muscles braced for battle. But there wasn't a battle raging here. He ran to the fenced in walkway and looked down. Ladybug and Carapace were dueling Mr. Pigeon on his glider built of birds. They were zooming up, down, and around. "You're a few paws short," Hawkmoth jeered through Mr. Pigeon's voice. "Just give me your miraculous now and we can finally end this dreadful charade!"

Chat thought about jumping the fence and trying to help, but then decided that plummeting two hundred and seventy-six meters to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower wouldn't be the most beneficial use of his skills right now. He felt a tug on the back of his jacket and whipped around to see a group of small children huddling on the floor beside him.

"Are you Chat Noir?" the girl who had tugged on his jacket asked. He crouched beside them.

"What are you all doing up here?" he asked quietly.

"We were visiting for a day-care field trip and-" there was a crash from below and the children screamed.

Chat fell to his knees and opened his arms. The kids flocked to him. He wrapped his hands around them. "It's ok, Chat Noir's here. C'mon, I'll get you to safety." He looked around. Taking the glass elevator back down was out of the question-the battle was raging up and down the whole of the Eiffel tower. "Follow me, my little kittens," he said. Crawled on his hands and toes down the walk way. One child started walking, but he shook his head at him playfully, "No, like _me,_" he teased, and the kid got down on his hands and toes. "Meow meow!" he called. All the kids started meowing behind him, crawling along to stay low and out of sight. A thousand or more pigeons zoomed over their heads and his nose tickled, but Chat kept meowing at the kids and they focused on him. Finally, he got them to the end of the walkway and to the door of Gustave Eiffel's office. It was locked. "Cataclysm!" he muttered instinctively. Nothing happened. He looked at his bare right hand and almost cried out in anger, but then remembered the meowing kittens behind him. He knocked and called, "This is Chat Noir, is anyone in there?"

Amazingly, the door cracked open, he was examined by a pair of steely eyes, and then suddenly it flew open with a bang. "Oh!" the adults gasped. They pulled Chat and all the children into the cramped office and locked the door behind them. The four adults hiding in the office hugged the children and checked for injuries. "I thought they'd made it to the bottom with the rest of the kids! Chat, I'm so grateful for you!"

"Just watching out for my kittens," he teased, playfully ruffling the girl who had first reached out to him on the head. "But Milady is waiting for my help, so it's time for me to scat!"

"Chat, what happened to your tail?" he heard as he slipped out to the walkway and closed the door behind him. He ran back to the edge of the walkway and watched as Ladybug caught her lucky charm, Carapace used shell-ter to divide Mr. Pigeon from his birds, and in a few more seconds, they were bumping fists. Chat raced back to the elevator and watched through the glass walls as the sparkling ladybugs set everything aright. By the time he reached the ground, Carapace had already gone to detransform and Ladybug was scanning the crowd of people. Chat walked slowly to his bicycle. He thought he heard the faint beep of her earrings behind him, but when he turned, she wasn't there.

* * *

Adrien pulled the mask tighter over his face and took a deep breath. Part of his brain was screaming at him to stop and turn around, but he pushed it away. The anger gripping his chest right now was searing his nerves. He hid his bike behind a bush, then jumped to grab the fire escape. He hurled himself to the third floor, then used a downspout to reach the window ledge.

_This isn't me… this is wrong…_ his brain wouldn't shut up.

_This is the only way. She's already moving on, choosing Carapace to replace me. I'm already a lost cause. If I wait any longer, I may never get the Miraculous back!_

The first voice got a little firmer. _At least call her first! She would want to help!_

He sneered at that thought. _Like she wanted to this afternoon? She didn't even say hello. _But the bitter thoughts couldn't turn in Ladybug's direction. No. He refused to believe even his most desperate fears about her. He resolved that he would win back her trust-and the only way he could see to do that was inside. He bristled slightly, then slipped the window open.

Max was sleeping in a neat bed. Markov was charging in a plug near a desk loaded with computer equipment. Adrien's green-soled feet hit the carpet without noise. He looked around, trying to locate where it was. He opened some dresser drawers and looked under Max's bed, but found nothing. But then, Max snored softly and rolled over, and his hand loosened. He was holding the hexagonal box next to his chest.

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. Max was protecting that miraculous with every ounce of strength he had, even in sleep. But he bit the inside of his lip and shook his head. This was the only way. Adrien carefully lifted Max's fingers and extracted the box. He put the glasses on before he even made it out the window. The brown suit shimmered to life at his command. He could hear Max stirring as he pulled himself to the rooftop and could hear Max's cry of alarm behind him as he called "Voyage!" into the night.

* * *

The address Adrien had managed to weasel out of his father's lawyer during the excruciating deposition turned out to be a run-down, seedy looking warehouse, quite similar to the one Chat Noir had followed Lila to in Birmingham. Adrien felt far more fear tonight than he had then-which, he realized, had been less than two weeks ago. It felt like a lifetime. He swallowed hard, called off his transformation, then wordlessly fed Kaalki a carrot stick before tucking the glasses in his pocket so that she couldn't try to talk him out of his plan. He strode forward, through the gate, up to the large building, and pushed the door open.

He heard voices, talking in excited, angry whispers.

"I'll never do it!" he heard a very familiar voice saying.

"You will, or I'll destroy him!"

"Oh Plagg, we could have so much fun!" an unfamiliar, squeaky voice trilled.

"Shut up, Duusu!"

Adrien followed the conversation to the back of the warehouse. He crouched behind a barrel and peeked around it to see Lila hunched on the ground with a thin blanket pulled up over her head. She was rocking back and forth on her heels. "As soon as that idiot girl sends me my money, we're getting out of here and you _will _do as I say," she was growling. "And if you try to pull another stunt like you did at the airport, Adrien Agreste will be-"

"What? I'll be _what?" _Adrien spat. She jumped at his voice. But when she bounced to her feet and the flickering light from the one working lightbulb in the room glinted off the ring on her hand, his courage faltered.

"_Adrien Agreste._" She sneered. "I didn't think you'd have the courage to come face me alone. Or, should I say stupidity."

He clenched his fists. "I don't want to fight you, Lila-not unless you force me."

She laughed the icy laugh that plagued his nightmares. "You really don't get it, do you? Sheesh, I'm so glad I never took you up on that math homework help because you are probably the biggest idiot I've ever met. _You've lost. _It was your 'I'm-too-good-to-fight' attitude that lost you this-" she lifted her hand to show off the ring.

He clenched his teeth. Plagg and Duusu were hovering by Lila with wide eyes. "But what I said, I meant. You don't have to be a villain. We can help you!"

Lila's eyes narrowed on him. "Are you joking? You're still using that ridiculous line?"

He pulled the glasses out and placed them on the bridge of his nose. "Kaalki, full gallop," he commanded and charged at her. All he could see was red; the anger was overtaking him. He lifted her off her feet and slammed her into the wall of the warehouse. "Give it back!"

She curled her lip back and growled, "Plagg, Claws out."

Adrien heard Plagg's squeal of hate as he was sucked into the ring. He dropped Lila and took a step back as she was transformed… it was _his _suit, almost exactly, on her body. The boots, the collar, the baton, the jaunty ears tucked in her hair… and the bell at her chin.

"No!" he howled, then bolted at her, slashing his hands through the air in fury. But she jumped and gripped the rafter above her. She hung upside down from her knees and the tail swished behind her. "Take it off! Give it back!"

She laughed. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going to transfer _all _your trust fund to me. And you're going to give me the horse miraculous to boot. Then, you're going to go back to Paris and tell Ladybug _everything _that happened here."

He jumped but she evaded his grasp. "Why would I ever do that?"

She extended her baton and it knocked him back to the wall. She did a barrel roll and landed in front of him, pressing the baton to his throat. "Because, _Adrien Agreste,_ Ladybug would be just thrilled to find out who hid under that kitty mask… along with the rest of the world."

He pushed out hard and she flew backwards, but skidded to a halt and tore after him. "I don't care, unmask me if you want, but I'll never help you!"

He threw the horseshoe at her, but he'd never used the weapon before and it missed her by a meter.

"Maybe you won't for Ladybug-" she said, jumping to the rafters again. He jumped up after her, "-but there's another young lady who might be a bit less keen on finding out her piano partner is also her biggest crush. Can you imagine how hard that must be on a girl? Especially if her parents suddenly disintegrated."

The blood drained from Adrien's face. "No-you leave Marinette alone…"

"Now can you understand why you might want to turn over your trust fund to me and give me the horse miraculous?"

"Aaah!" Adrien jumped to her rafter and charged, throwing his fists. Her eyes flew open in shock and she spun the staff, clocking him in the ribs and flinging him to the side. But he'd not spent a year as Chat Noir for nothing-he was able to hold on to the rafter beam and use his momentum to swing around it and land back on his feet. He raced toward her and tried to throw the horseshoe again. She knocked it out of the air with the staff. He managed to knock her to her back and he pounced, holding her down with his right arm and grasping for the ring with the left.

"Cataclysm!" she screamed and the ring was surrounded with a deadly black aura. He recoiled and scrambled backward on the rafter. She crawled forward toward him, her right arm extended with tiny black wisps of energy bubbling from her hand. "You've got nowhere to go. The horse miraculous. _Now." _She was right on top of him. Her hand reached for his throat. It was centimeters away. There was no escape. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"No. I won't do it. I'd rather die," he whispered.

"Argh!" she yelled and he felt her fingers touch him. He winced… but then realized that it was _only_ her fingers and nothing more. _"What?_" She screamed, then pressed her hand to his throat twice more. "NO! PLAGG! NO!"

Adrien opened her eyes and she was looking at her hand, which was no longer charged with cataclysm energy, but rather had started glowing a fiery red.

"YOU STUPID CREATURE! GIVE ME THE POWER BACK!" she continued screaming at the ring. Her eyes fixed on Adrien. "That dumb kwami might be able to prevent me from cataclysming _you, _but he can't hold off forever. Every day I get stronger, and every day I tear down his defenses. Give me the miraculous now and I'll consider letting him retain his voice once he comes out of the ring."

The image of Lila torturing Plagg made Adrien want to vomit. He got to his feet and started hurling punches and kicks again, but she jumped even higher. He followed her, and higher still, until they were a solid three stories off the ground. "You're coming back to Paris with me," Adrien sneered, "and you're going to stand trial for your crimes."

She cackled. "I don't think you realize I've got the upper paw."

He wanted to destroy her. "Voyage!" he growled and pointed the horseshoe underneath them so the portal appeared below the rafters. He jumped at her, but she sunk her claws into the wooden rafter and dropped below it so he barreled into the air. He slipped, fell into the well of light, and watched the portal close around him, separating him from Lila's smirking face.

* * *

Max heard a crash on his rooftop and raced to the window. He and Luka jumped out the window and managed to climb the drainpipe to the roof. A very familiar boy in a dark glasses and a brown suit was lying on the rooftop, clutching his ribs and moaning.

"Chat Noir?" Luka asked, running to his side.

"Whoa, Kaalki," he moaned, and the transformation dropped to reveal Chat in his not-Chat attire. "I am such an idiot," he growled at himself.

Max helped him to a sitting position. "Are you hurt?"

"I've...had worse," he grumbled. Then he locked eyes with Luka. "What're you doing here? Oh shoot, did Max call the team?"

"No," Luka said quietly, "just me. He called me when you stole his miraculous. I told him we should figure out what you were trying to do before we called Ladybug."

"So you didn't call Ladybug?"

Luka gave him a knowing look, and suddenly Adrien felt a great deal of gratitude for the level-headed hero. "No. I figured you'd had a rough enough time recently and deserved a second chance."

Adrien lifted an eyebrow at the pun, but didn't laugh. Lila's jab at his humor was still too fresh to find anything funny right now. "I..." he started, feeling terribly stupid, "went after my miraculous."

Luka pursed his lips. "Tell us something we _don't _know."  
Max scoffed, "_I _didn't know!"

Luka just patted Max on the back softly and gestured for Adrien to continue. "I couldn't stand it, ok? I couldn't stand knowing that _she _had my miraculous and that _she _was torturing my kwami and that I just had to sit here and _wait _for her to come to us. I thought that maybe if I went and got the ring back, that… that…"

"That Ladybug would notice you again. Maybe even fall in love with you for real." Luka's words were spoken softly, but they pierced him in his gut.

He nodded, unable to voice a reply. Finally, his voice returned shakily, "I can't go on watching Ladybug save the day knowing that I should be by her side. She's moved on, but I can't."

Max started to say something, but Luka silenced him with a soft look.

"Do you really think Ladybug has moved on?"

Chat Noir tried to give a hot, angry response, but the words caught in his throat. "No… and that's the worst part of it. I know she's doing everything she can to get my miraculous back for me. She's putting herself at risk because of my stupidity."

"So you went to get the miraculous because you wanted to spare her."

"Yes."

"Chat?" Max spoke very softly.

"What?"

"That's about the most heroic thing you've ever done."

* * *

**Lila: I thought I said cash! **

**Alya: my uncle works for StarTrain and got us a really great deal, I thought you'd be happy!**

**Lila: But this ticket is for tomorrow!**

**Lila: I just got an audition! I can't leave tomorrow!**

**Alya: sorry, i knew how eager you were to come home so i thought this would be easier. **

**Lila: sometimes u r super dense.**

**Lila: but I'm thankful u tried**

**Alya: is your mom able to pick you up at the station? If not, can I come get you? I'm dying to see my bestie!**

Lila didn't respond immediately. Marinette was pacing. "What if she doesn't take the ticket? What if she tries to bolt again? We need to get her back here to Paris," she was fretting under her breath.

"It's going to be ok, she'll come. She's pretty desperate," Alya reminded her. "Also, she's no criminal mastermind. Chat Noir's ensured that she has no other resources—I still have no idea how he managed to steal all the _Gabriel _brand records regarding her termination! But once he shut down the credit card she'd stolen, she's been asking for money non-stop. She'll be coming back. Where else could she go?"

"She could stay in London, I suppose—"

"And if she does, what's our plan?" Alya spoke softly in a rhythmically soothing voice. Marinette calmed down at once.

"We'll go to her."

"That's right. Of course it would be better if we could face her here, on our turf, but if she wants to keep making this difficult, then…"

"We'll show _her _what difficult means."

Alya's phone dinged. The two girls scrambled to get the new text message open.

**Lila: just u? yah, I'd love a ride**

Alya beamed. "See? I told you!"

* * *

Ladybug's eyes flashed from one person to the next and tried to hold back the tears. She'd asked more of them than seemed fair, and yet they kept coming back, kept giving their all. "Are there any other questions?" Everyone simply smiled quietly. "I know—trust me, _I know_ that the best laid plans sometimes go awry-" (Chat Noir coughed a word that sounded like 'Reflekdoll!' and earned a playful glare from Ladybug, who forged forward with her pep talk) "but we've never had this amount of information before. If we all stick to our posts, and keep lines of communication open, I feel confident we'll be victorious. And, if all else fails, just pull a Classic Chat Noir."

Everyone nodded in understanding except for Chat, who looked baffled, "A _what?" _They laughed as Ladybug held her fist out and everyone crowded in. "No seriously, what's a Classic Chat Noir?"

"Pound it!"

"Isn't anyone going to tell me what a Classic Chat Noir is?" The team cleaned up as they murmured words of excitement and resolution to each other.

"Now, get on home and rest up—it's going to be a big day tomorrow!" Ladybug waved goodbye to the team members.

"Please tell me! Ryuko! Viperion! What's a Classic Chat Noir?"

"Talk to your kwamis and bring plenty of snacks! Have a good afternoon!"

"Wait, King Monkey, c'mon, take pity on this kitty…"

"You're awesome! Be safe as you go home—remember, different routes…"

Chat Noir chased after Carapace and Rena Rouge briefly with his hands clasped in a desperate plea. He was reaching after them when Ladybug placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Chat—" she said quietly. He spun around with a smile plastered to his face.

"We've got such a great plan for tomorrow, Milady! We're going to get my miraculous back, I can feel it." He sounded hollow, like a windup toy.

She cocked her head to one side and looked deeply into those green, masked eyes.

"Do you still have a little time?"

He shook the surprise from his face and checked his watch. "Uh yeah… my dad has been a lot more lenient since I scared him to death by coming home via superhero. I've got a couple hours still."

She smiled a crooked little smile. "Wanna hang out?"

His jaw slackened slightly. All he could manage was a nod.

"Great. Just give me a second to change."

Again he nodded. She ran into the next room of their 'secret hideout' for the day—an empty elementary school that they'd managed to commandeer by popping open a window. Adrien, all dressed up in his Chat suit, started sweating profusely. Ladybug wanted to hang out with him—no patrol, no agenda, just a hang-out. He didn't know what to say or do, so he just walked around aimlessly.

There was a mirror on the wall and he caught his reflection in it. His eyes were bloodshot. His skin was paler than normal and his hair was greasy. The emptiness of the last twelve days-sixteen thousand, nine hundred and four minutes-were pressing on him. After finally accepting that his miraculous was gone and chasing after Lila himself was a bad idea, Adrien had tried to stay busy. But his Father's generous leniency-apparently to make up for the disastrous forced trip to London-had turned into an unexpected curse, as he was given hours upon hours of free time to berate himself. Nino, Ladybug, the team, and even Marinette had all volunteered to stay with him and keep him company, but inevitably, night would come, the lights would fade, and his brain would scream at him until his thoughts turned into nightmares.

"Chat, are you alright?" Ladybug's gentle voice said behind him. He looked down and realized he'd stopped pacing and instead was clinging to the edge of a teacher's desk, gasping for air.

He shook his head and let his hair fall over his forehead. "Yes, fine, never better," he laughed in a much-too-high voice.

Her hand traced a line from his shoulder to the small of his back and made him shiver from head to toe. "No, you're not. C'mon, let's go somewhere nicer." She wrapped her hand around his bicep but didn't pull. He took a deep breath and followed her out the window and to a quiet, meandering pathway. They walked, arm-in-arm, for quite a while in silence. He was lost in his thoughts, not trusting himself to look her in the eye—knowing he was only avoiding the panic attack of failure by a tiny margin as it was.

Finally, she found a secluded park bench that was quite hidden from view and guided him to sit with her. "Chat," she started, "talk to me."

"Wh-what do you want me to say?"

"Whatever it is you're feeling."

He laughed bitterly. "You don't want to hear that."

"I really do."

He turned away from her. "You… deserve better."

"Deserve better? Than what?"

"Me. This. No miraculous. No Chat Noir."

"Would you let me be the judge of that?"

He dropped his face in his hands, finally letting out the anger and frustration that had settled in his chest. "I'm totally useless, Ladybug! I can't do anything without my ring. I let her steal it from me, and now you're gearing up to confront Lila and you all have your powers and purpose and I… can't do anything! You've got this great plan and everyone has their place except me. I've failed you as your partner. I've… failed."

It was quiet for a few minutes. Chat felt Ladybug's arms rustle and he snuck a peek to see her hands holding her silver cellphone. She was opening up a group text.

"What are you doing?" he muttered, feeling completely miserable.

"Calling Viperion. Maybe Carapace too. I need them to come beat up the guy who's insulting my partner and best friend."

He felt his lips curve into a smile. He reached out and took the phone from her and his fingers brushed against hers-which, he realized with a start, were bare. He'd never seen Ladybug's bare hands. His eyes darted up her arms, which were clad in a flowing, black satin kimono-style tunic. The fabric was vaguely familiar. He turned to get a better look at her. She had red and black spotted leggings, and her mask was much more artistic than the straightforward domino mask she typically wore as Ladybug. This one was pointed at the edges and had intricate embroidery all across it. From this distance, Chat could see the patterns of tiny ladybugs clustered together to form larger spots on the red velvet background. Her hair was adorned with a ladybug clip.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. "You're… you're not…"

She laughed. "I had someone else who wanted to talk to you, who couldn't do so if I was transformed."

His eyebrow peaked and Ladybug opened a small black handbag and a tiny red kwami flew out. Chat Noir suddenly found Tikki nuzzling his cheek.

"Whoa!" he gasped, recoiling slightly and blushing. But Tikki didn't care. "Tikki! Hey!"

"Oh Chat Noir," the tiny creature crooned.

Chat patted her back slightly and she settled onto Ladybug's shoulder.

Tikki took a deep breath through her nose and her eyes popped open. "You're still carrying camembert!"

Chat Noir absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I hardly feel like myself without a fresh supply of camembert on hand…"

"Plagg misses you," Tikki said.

Chat's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "You… you've talked to him?"

"Only indirectly. He's awfully far away, and _bluprbp_-whoops, I mean, his new master is getting better at controlling him. He has been able to send me a couple of messages, though."

"Still, that's something! Is he ok? What's she doing to him?" The words fell out of Chat's mouth in a torrent.

Tikki smiled and flew to pat Chat's hand. "He's a tough old thing; trust me, he's had his fair share of difficult masters and he's always managed to come back to me. He can't tell me exactly where he is or what is happening. But he _did _say he misses you and something about his mini-fridge?" Chat's eyes popped in surprise and he burst out laughing. Ladybug smiled quietly at the interaction. "He wants to come home," Tikki added softly. "He's _going _to come home."

"Thanks, Tikki." She nodded enthusiastically, and took this moment as her time to exit. She flew back to the little purse and gave Ladybug and Chat some privacy.

They leaned into the bench, but now Chat had a smile on his face and his shoulders seemed a little higher. "Chat," Ladybug whispered, "You're not worthless."

He took a deep breath but didn't respond.

"You've always been so strong and skilled. I know that doesn't come exclusively from the miraculous. There's got to be some extensive training in there somewhere."

He shrugged.

"And we _both _know that Master Fu chose both of us on criteria other than just our ability to leap tall buildings."

His face was softening.

"But do you know what makes you Chat Noir, above all else?"

"What?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a wrapped gift. A child had clearly scrawled 'To Chat Noir, Love, the Kittens' on a homemade tag.

"You should've seen them, Chat. They tracked me down via the Ladyblog, and when I told them that you weren't available, all the kids were crying. They all got on their hands and knees and started meowing. They _love _you, Chat." He pulled the paper off the gift and found a long leather belt inside, decorated with the fingerprints that had been given glittery ears and whiskers. He stood and wrapped it around his waist. It clashed horribly with the exquisite suit Marinette had made for him, but he didn't care. Putting on the tail was like wrapping himself in Paris' love. "They _all _love you, Chat," Ladybug continued. "Your kindness and compassion, your indomitable spirit, your humor, and the way you see the best in everyone… That's what really makes you Chat Noir."

He admired the kids' handiwork, and then looked up into Ladybug's stunning blue eyes. "Ladybug, I have to tell you something. A few days ago, I stole Max's miraculous and-"

She stood and pressed a finger to his lips. "I know, Chat. I knew before you'd even decided to do it."  
"What? And you didn't try to stop me?"

"When will you realize what I mean when I say that I trust you? You needed to face her, you needed to try. I just hope this next time, you'll let me fight by your side."

He looked down at her soft features, the curve of her lips and jaw, the lusciousness of her hair and skin, and those rich, glorious bluebell eyes. Her hand caressed his cheek. She wrapped her arms around his back and nuzzled her face into his chest. He melted into her hug.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note**__: Almost to the end here... (just one more chapter/epilogue after this) _

* * *

Chapter 12

Alya stood on her tiptoes to see above the crowd exiting the train platform. Her stomach was a mess of butterflies. "I don't see her," she whispered into the tiny earpiece that Chat Noir had somehow managed to procure for the entire team.

"Passenger registry confirms she was on the train," Pegasus' voice spoke in her ear.

"Stick to the plan," Ladybug reminded them in a steady voice. "I need to talk to her before anyone engages."

The intercom went quiet and Alya hugged her chest to keep the nerves down. Even though she knew Nino and Kim were hiding nearby, she felt exposed. She tried to keep a smile on her face as the crowd thinned. Then, a hand touched her arm. Alya wheeled around to come face-to-face with a girl in a ragged hoodie and scratched sunglasses.

"Lila?" Alya gasped. Lila removed the sunglasses. She was fidgety, eyes darting from side to side.

"You're alone?" she hissed.

Alya nodded fervently.

"You've got cash?"

Alya raised an eyebrow, "Only enough for the cab home."  
Lila's eyes were like ice. She grabbed Alya's hand and marched her to a corner of the platform where a pillar blocked most of the view. "Quick, give me everything you've got," she growled.

"Lila, you're scaring me," Alya replied. "Let's just get you home-I know your mother must be desperate to see you."

Lila rolled her frigid eyes, "She's a worthless lump who only wants the money she'll get out of this stupid lawsuit against Gabriel Agreste. No, we'll not be returning to her. You'll give me the cash you've got and then you'll clear out."

Alya placed her hand on Lila's shoulder, who immediately threw it off with a shrug. "Lila, don't be this way; your mom cares about you, you have friends who care about you too-"

"You sound like that pathetic excuse for a human being _Chat Noir. _Give me the money!"

"No, Lila, let's get you some help!"

Lila punched Alya, hard, in the stomach. She crumpled and gripped the wound. Lila grabbed a fistful of Alya's hair and yanked her face to look at hers.

"_Give it to me now!"_

"Get your hands off her!" Nino's voice growled. Alya felt a wave of relief as Nino and Kim charged into view with their fists raised.

Lila sneered and pulled Alya's head higher, exposing her neck and the thin silver chain that was tucked under her shirt. Lila's other hand wrapped around the chain and lifted the foxtail pendant out of its hiding spot.

"I wouldn't come closer, boys," she growled. Nino and Kim froze. Lila stole a glance at Alya's tear-stained face. "Who else is here?"

"No one," Alya answered honestly.

"Liar," Lila spat.

"Takes one to know one," Alya retorted, earning her a knee in the stomach. She doubled over in pain. Lila dropped the pendant to free her hands enough to punch Alya in the chin. Nino yelled in fury and threw himself at Lila.

His haste was in Lila's benefit. She ducked and he tripped over the two girls and collided with the wall.

"R-Requesting backup!" Kim was shouting into his earpiece. Lila threw Alya into Kim and the two crumpled.  
"Duusu, spread my feathers!" she cried, and then used her newly powerful legs to climb up the wall and start jumping from pillar to pillar toward the exit.

"Xuppu, showtime," Kim called and then King Monkey tore after her.

Alya crawled to Nino, who was sliding in and out of consciousness. "C'mon, turtle boy, time to suit up!"

* * *

King Monkey chased the darting light-blue figure up the street for several blocks before she raced downstairs to a metro station. He did a triple summersault to launch himself over the stairwell and landed in a crouch. He saw her grabbing a purse off a woman's shoulder and holding up her fan. He pelted toward her and called "Uproar!" as he did. He caught the banana with a little squeak and threw it with all his might just as the amok tried to plant itself in the purse. The amok fizzled and disappeared, much to Jeune Paonne's chagrin. "Ha-ha!" King Monkey snorted and did a jubilant backflip. But she launched upward and grabbed the jingu bang from his back as he was midair.

He landed on his feet but was immediately whacked hard in the shins with his own weapon. The jingu bang then rebounded across his back. She threw it on the floor and bolted, sliding effortlessly through the closing doors of the nearest train.

"I lost her," King Monkey moaned into the intercom. "She's heading for Trocadero."

"I'm on my way," Ryuko's voice responded tersely.

"I'm already there," Chat Noir declared.

* * *

Adrien had to push people to the sides to get down to the Metro station at Trocadero.

"Akuma Alert!" they were yelling. The all-too-familiar evacuation sirens blared. One person slammed headlong into Adrien's chest.

"Hey man, get outta here, there's an Akum-" he started, then looked up at the black mask and ears. "_Chat Noir? _You look different-"  
Adrien flashed his widest Chat Noir grin. "Not for long," he growled as the young man let him pass. He leapt over the ticket barrier after giving a brief thumbs-up to the security guard. He looked down the tunnel and saw the headlights of the train arriving. It didn't seem to be slowing down. As it got closer, Adrien caught sight of the front window and could see the driver slumped over the controls-clearly unconscious. The train entered the station at full speed. Adrien started running alongside it until a door handle came parallel to him-he reached, grabbed, and pulled himself to the side, holding on desperately. He scrambled up the wall and then to the roof of the train just as it exited the other side of the station. It took an enormous effort to inch forward and pry open the emergency exit on the ceiling, but finally he tumbled inside and prowled toward the front of the train.

Jeune Paonne was waiting for him in the front car. "So… still wearing that hideous costume," she taunted.

"I'll give you one last chance, Lila," he countered.

She rolled her eyes, "Here we go with the idiotic peace offerings again. You think I'm really going to hand over my miraculouses and join your pathetic team?"

He stepped toward her slowly, "No, but that won't stop me from trying. That's what heroes do-they try to see the best in everyone."

"You think you're a hero? What kind of hero wears a handmade costume and a tail decorated with crayon and glitter?"

He glanced down at his outfit, and slowly brought his eyes to meet hers in a piercing stare. "_The true kind."_ He ran toward her fearlessly. She spread the fan as a shield. He punched hard, knocking her wrist and sending the fan clattering across the train car floor. She seemed shocked that he'd managed to land a blow on her when she had superpowers and he didn't.

"You're not as weak as you seem, are you," she glowered, and used the railings to get out of reach of Adrien's powerful arms. "You know, we'd make awfully great partners-" she dodged a blow- "We could get Ladybug's miraculous and then Hawkmoth's and be the strongest power couple the world has ever seen! And I do mean couple…"

She pounced, knocking him flat on his back and trapping his hands under hers. "Come on, admit it-you've always wanted this as well-" she pursed her lips and leaned in to his face.

"You're sick!" he recoiled, unable to break free of her super-strength grip. But centimeters above his face, the peacock brooch beeped rapidly and her light blue dress receded into a stained hoodie that smelled like garbage. Her eyes flew open in horror as the dark blue kwami fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry Miss Lila I held on as long as I could-" Duusu wailed.

"Shut up!" she demanded. Adrien triumphantly kicked upward with all his might and launched her into the wall, then charged. He lifted her up and pinned her against the wall with his elbow to her throat.

Suddenly, the train gave a mighty lurch and both Adrien and Lila were tossed to the floor. "Aargh!" It was as if the train had plummeted into the ocean—though Adrien knew that was impossible. The windows appeared flooded and water gushed inside from every crack in the doors. Lila scrambled to her feet, only to be knocked back again. Their bodies slammed into the front wall as the train sloshed to a stop and the water almost instantly evaporated. The doors were pried open by Ryuko and a security guard. Adrien picked up Lila by the scruff of her hoodie and dragged her into the open air of the train station. She wriggled under his grip, but he maintained it.

"Excuse me, officer?" he called. "You might want to arrest this girl."

Ryuko's choker was beeping at her. She made eye contact with Chat Noir. "You good?"

He tightened his hold on Lila's hoodie, smiled, and pursed his lips, "I think I've got a _grip _on this situation." Ryuko nodded and ran off to detransform.

Feeling particularly proud that he'd brought Lila down, Adrien adjusted his hands so the officer could arraign her-but just then, she sunk her teeth into his hand.

"Yooow!" he howled and dropped her. She bolted for the staircase with Adrien hot on her heels. He felt hot blood dripping from the bite mark but didn't slow. She made it to the top of the stairs before him. "You know the miraculouses will never work properly for you!" he wailed in desperation. She hesitated, slowing down. "That's right," he pressed, "they always work better when you have a real connection; when you're chosen."

She couldn't resist his challenge. She wheeled around and snarled, "I _am _chosen! I am the rightful champion!"

"Besides, it takes serious mental strength to wield two miraculouses," he pressed, "and you'll never have that."

His taunt had an adverse reaction to the one he'd been hoping for. Rather than backing down, she threw her chest out in spine-tingling determination. Lila's eyes narrowed with malice as she lifted her hands in the air.

"No, Lila, it's too dangerous-" Adrien screamed at her, but she didn't listen.

"Plagg, Duusu, Unify!"

There was an earth-rumbling explosion of energy that nearly ruptured Adrien's eardrums. He threw his hands over his ears and winced in pain. He was thrown off his feet as he was hit with the shockwave of the unification. When he managed to get upright enough to look forward, he gasped in horror. Lila's eyes had turned a blank white. Her jaw was slack and her features were frozen in a look of mindlessness. Her clothes were splotchy black and light blue. Her arms were suddenly different lengths, one with clawed fingertips, one a useless feathered wing.

It was as if the two miraculouses were at war with each other and she was their battlefield.

The feathered arm reached up. A single black-stained feather detached and flew up to Lila's blank forehead, where it nestled in the black ear that was perched there. Almost immediately, a static buzzing sound filled the air and a scaly, griffin-like creature burst into existence. It reared up on its hind legs, screeched as it spread its powerful wings, gripped Lila's floppy body in its claws, and launched itself into the sky.

"Dang!" Adrien cursed, forgetting he was on the headset still.

"What is it, Chat?" Ladybug's voice cried into his ear.

"We've got… a problem."

He jumped on a discarded bicycle as he tightened his mask against his face. He pedaled as hard as he could between the abandoned cars-thank goodness for the citizens of Paris and their well-rehearsed evacuation plans-and kept an eye on the monster in the sky. He tracked it down the Seine until he recognized where it was going.

"Sentimonster, heading toward Dupain Bakery!"

"Pegasus, get the family out of there!" Ladybug ordered.

"Give me two-point-six minutes," Pegasus' voice quipped.

Chat arrived at the bakery just in time to see the creature dive on the delicate little terrace, crunching through the top two stories of the building. Brick, metal, wood, and ash exploded from its claws as it shredded Marinette's bedroom. Seeing her home-no, the place was _his _home as well-destroyed this way made his stomach bunch up and anger ripped through his chest. "NO!" he screamed.

Ladybug zipped in from behind him, and he tossed the bike to the side and raced into the fray. His legs felt like jelly compared to their normal superstrength, but he didn't care. He lifted a stick of metal from the wreckage that he recognized as the handrail from Marinette's bedroom and caught the sentimonster's attention. It charged at him and he didn't flinch as he jumped and brought his new-made staff down on its beak. The ricochet sent ripples of jarring pain through Chat Noir's arms and back, but he gritted his teeth and spun the staff around hard for a second blow, then a third and fourth. Ladybug's yo-yo hooked a claw and yanked it backward mere milliseconds before it would have gashed Chat's back, but he didn't slow down his attack.

Viperion was the next one to arrive. He stayed back from Chat and the sentimonster, plucking his harp mindlessly as he scanned the battle. Then, he leapt into action. "Chat, go for the eyes," he called over the intercom.

He hit the side of its face twice more before plunging it into one of the eye sockets. It yowled and reared back-and with Chat's hands still firmly gripping the staff and the staff now firmly affixed to the hollow eye socket, Chat flew upward with it. Mid-arc he lost his grip and went flying into the sky.

"Chat!" he heard as he fell. By some miracle, a lifesaving string flew around his waist and anchored itself, then slowed his descent until he landed on his feet. He looked down and saw the red and black yo-yo releasing him. He followed the string back to Ladybug, who was perched on a lamp post holding the other end of her yo-yo for dear life.

"Look out!" he screamed at her just at the pointed tail of the monster snapped forward like a whip and hit the lamp post she'd just vacated. It disintegrated at the touch in a black pile of rubble. The sentimonster took a mighty leap and landed between Chat and Viperion. Its beaked mouth opened wide and clamped viciously on Viperion's arm. It lifted him off his feet, shook him violently, and tossed him into the air and flying into a building-where he hit hard and slid to the ground, knocked out cold.

"Mirage!" he heard from behind him, and suddenly hundreds of Rena Rouge were attacking the sentimonster. Unfortunately, it wasn't bewildered in the slightest and instinctively attacked the real Rena Rouge. Rena was knocked back with a swipe from a claw. However, the sentimonster's diverted attention was an opportunity that Ladybug didn't miss. Her yo-yo flew around the sentimonster's beak three times and she yanked back on it, hard, zipping the mouth shut. She pulled the head down between the front two legs-the left of which was still gripping Lila's unconscious body. She raced toward them.

"The amok's in her cat ear," Chat yelled. Ladybug was four paces away and closing fast. But something caught the corner of Chat's eye and he sensed, more than saw, the figure's long arms hurl the spear-like cane at Ladybug's hands. The cane hit her from the side and her body was flung into the air. Chat took an enormous leap and extended his arms, catching her just before she would have crunched into the pavement. He felt his ankle collapse beneath him, sending a spiral of pain up his left leg.

"Chat! Are you ok?" she tried to ask, but couldn't wait for an answer as Hawkmoth himself descended on them. She started throwing punches and kicks with such power that each hit echoed in Chat Noir's human ears. He clambered to his feet and kept as much weight on his right leg as possible. His fists flew along with hers, each landing blows against Hawkmoth's vicious attack.

The sentimonster managed to detangle its beak from Ladybug's yo-yo, screeched, and started charging the three battling individuals. "Shell-ter!" Carapace yelled and the sentimonster hit the blossoming forcefield-like wall head-on. It flew back, dazed, but shook its head, reared, and charged again, this time bringing the pointed tail down like a scorpion sting and it disintegrated the protective bubble. "Look out, that tail's got cataclysm powers," Carapace's voice called over the intercom.

"Thank-you-Captain-obvious!" Ladybug growled through breathless blows.

"Hand over your miraculous, Ladybug, and I'll put this whole debacle right," Hawkmoth sneered at her. Ryuko and King Monkey engaged the sentimonster with sword and jingu bang while Ladybug and Chat Noir continued fighting back Hawkmoth.

"Nice try, Hawkmoth," Ladybug spat. "You're just lucky we're here to clean up your mess."

He glared at the two teenagers in earnest, kicked them back hard, and retrieved his cane. He snapped the top open and a tiny black akuma zipped out toward the sentimonster. "Her anger is strong! Fly, akuma, and evilize her!"

A desperate thought flew through Chat's brain as the tiny akuma pelted toward the sentimonster: if Hawkmoth managed to gain control of it, he'd be able to extract both miraculouses. An image of Plagg, being ordered into submission by Hawkmoth, descended upon his vision. "NOOOO!" he screamed as he reached for the akuma.

"Wind dragon!" Ryuko yelled simultaneously and a gust of warm air enveloped the tiny akuma and knocked Chat, once again, to his back. For a moment, Chat thought that she'd managed to destroy the akuma, but then a huge whirlwind-surrounded by a hollow, luminescent purple butterfly- sprouted from the place that Ryuko had been and the ruins of Marinette's home were sucked up into the vortex. The sentimonster reared back, raising its tail to attack again. Hawkmoth's lip curled back in fury and he spun his cane over his head menacingly. He directed the vortex at Ladybug. She spun her yo-yo as a shield and deflected the debris that started pelting at her.

"Monkey, some help over here!" Chat commanded over the intercom.

"Uproar!" a banana zipped through the heart of the vortex, and it paused, dropping all the debris at once in a heap at Hawkmoth's feet. With no corporeal mass to hold onto the akuma, the black butterfly escaped. Ladybug jumped to her feet and caught it in her yo-yo, but made no show of waving it away. She raced straight for Hawkmoth and planted a right cross on his jaw, then followed up with a left hook in his gut and finally swept his feet out with a kick. He fell to his back and lifted his hands in defense. Her fingers clambered at the brooch on his chest, but with a hair raising screech, a black pointed tail whipped down and hit Ladybug in the stomach. She crumpled beneath the blow. Hawkmoth was tossed like a ragdoll into the wall of an adjacent building by the shockwave. Gripping his ribs, he ran for dear life. Chat was tempted to chase him down, but as the sentimonster reared again, he saw her figure sprawled on the concrete.

Ladybug wasn't stirring. Terrified, Chat dropped to her side. His fingers slipped under her jaw to find her pulse, and he leaned his cheek a centimeter above her lips. He closed his eyes and prayed to feel something, however small.

"Ch-Chat," she coughed.

"Oh!" he sighed and pressed his lips to her face. "You're alive!" She tried to pull her arms underneath her, but she failed. "Don't move!" he cautioned. "You've been cataclysmed!"

She nodded but groaned in pain. "L-L-"

"Shh, it's ok, I'm going to get you out of here-"

"Lucky...charm…" she whispered.

A sabre appeared at her side. Chat didn't even think, he just picked it up and tore toward the sentimonster. Steel flashing, hand oozing blood, ankle throbbing, muscles on fire with pain and adrenaline, he engaged. The sentimonster sneered in surprise, but he slashed, parried, and swung the sword with all his might. The tail swung at him and he threw his weight behind the sabre. He connected and the sentimonster let out a screech of pain as he sliced through the tail and left it a crumpled black mess on the ground. He lifted the sabre again and slashed at the belly of the sentimonster. It winced back, stumbled, and released its grip on Lila's motionless figure. Chat dove on Lila and ripped the black ear from her hair. He tore it in half with his bare hands and the black feather, at last, drifted out.

Ladybug barely had enough strength to throw her yo-yo at it before her arm gave up and fell to the side of her body.

"Ladybug!" Chat screamed, and raced back to her side. She was barely breathing. He took the sabre, pressed it into her hand and wrapped his arms around her. "Please, please Ladybug! You've got to do it! Please, I need you! I love you!" His tears splashed into her hair. "Come on, Ladybug, wake up!" He cradled her face in his hand and kissed her softly, "Please, please please wake up." He kissed her cheeks, forehead, and nose. "I'll take your place, I'll do anything, please just wake up!"

She gave the tiniest moan and he almost dropped her in surprise. "M-m-miraculous-l-l-ladybug-" she barely managed to mutter. The cascade of sparkling ladybugs erupted from the sabre in her hand. They washed over her, over Chat, over the bakery, the destroyed street, over each of the superhero's friends, and even over Lila.

Ladybug rolled to her side, still in Chat Noir's arms. "You'd do anything, huh?"

He smiled through his tears. "Anything."

She gripped both sides of his face with her hands and kissed him, hard. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head and kissed her back. The hands slipped behind each others' backs in a deep, wordless hug of triumph. Then the two stood and, as if they could read the other's mind, they walked toward the crumpled, black-and-blue figure of Lila. She was fidgeting, blank-white eyes darting back and forth. Ladybug grabbed the peacock brooch while Chat Noir reached for her hand. She gave no struggle as the miraculouses were removed. The shimmer of energy faded from her body and the color came back to her eyes, but it was unfocused and faded.  
Lila started mumbling incoherent gibberish. Ladybug knelt at her side and placed her hand on Lila's forehead. She closed her eyes, and started murmuring a string of ancient Chinese text under her breath. Chat watched in awe as a faint white energy poured from Ladybug's hand into Lila's forehead. Slowly, Lila's eyes focused and the words formed, though they still weren't making sense.

"World be home train mark esh lorg!" Lila squeaked. Ladybug continued the rhythmic chanting.

An untransformed Alya ran to their sides. "Is she ok?" she asked. Another minute went by and finally, Lila quieted. She stared off into the distance and blinked slowly.

Ladybug shook her head. "I think the combined power was too much. She's lost her mind."

Luka, Kim, Kagami, and Nino were hot on Alya's heels. "Isn't there anything more you can do for her?" Luka's quiet voice sighed.

Ladybug was still shaking her head. "The grimoire's pretty clear-if you're not mentally strong enough, the combination of miraculouses is terrifically dangerous. There's no cure for damage caused by the abuse of the miraculous. I tried to make her more comfortable, but I'm afraid this is going to be permanent. We should get her to a hospital." They looked around at each other. Ladybug's earrings chirped softly. "Chat, would you do the honor?"

Startled, he looked at the ring in his hand. With a hitch in his throat, he slipped the ring on his finger and Plagg appeared in front of him. Their eyes met and both faces split into enormous grins. "Plagg, Claws out!"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Epilogue

Marinette hid the silver cellphone in her purse as Adrien placed his plate of food next to hers and sat. "Hey, Marinette, how's your morning been?" he asked.

She smiled, "Just fine, thanks, how about yours?"

"Great, just great, though I do miss being in Mademoiselle Bustier's class."

Marinette nodded her concurrence. She took a bite of her lunch with her left hand while working on her sketch with her right. Adrien snuck a peek at what she was doodling.

"That's really great art, Marinette! What're you working on?"

She blushed lightly, "It's just a landscape. I thought I'd give it to Lila when I visit her tomorrow. You know, something to cheer up her room a bit."

Adrien swallowed and rubbed the back of his head. "You're going to visit her?"

Marinette bit her lower lip and nodded, "I know we didn't get along last year, but nobody deserves to wind up in a mental institution, all alone, and without friends." Adrien smirked at her. "What?"

"You just never cease to amaze me."

She rolled her eyes and returned to her drawing. Nino and Alya joined them. "Marinette!" Nino sighed, "It feels like forever since I last saw you! How was your summer?"

She her lips curled up slightly, "Kinda quiet, actually. How about yours?"

"_Weeelll…" _he started, but Alya elbowed him in the ribs, "quiet, very very quiet…" he babbled.

Marinette and Adrien laughed. "I think we need to catch up, wouldn't you agree?" Marinette asked.

"How about Friday night?" Adrien asked Nino with unnaturally narrow eyes.

Alya and Nino exchanged a look and Nino hastily responded for the two of them, "We've already got plans."

"Oh. In that case, what about you, Marinette? Got any plans?"

Her eyes popped. "Pl-Pl-Plans? Fr-Friday?" She locked eyes with Alya, took a deep breath to steady herself, and then turned back to meet Adrien's soft gaze, "No, I don't have any plans on Friday, and yes, I'd love to do something."

"Awesome!" he exclaimed. "It's a date, then."

She grinned. "Yeah, a date."

* * *

Ladybug pulled out a fresh cheesepuff, squeezed a few drops of light blue liquid on it, and gave it to Plagg, who swallowed it whole.

"Mmm," he moaned in delight, "Master Fu always made me take medicine straight up. This cheesepuff regimen is so much nicer!"

Ladybug turned to Chat Noir and tried not to get lost in the way her embroidered mask highlighted his gorgeous green eyes. "Are you still both taking those vitamins I gave you?"

Chat nodded, "Morning and night, as prescribed."

"And getting ample rest?"

Chat smirked. "If you mean is Plagg sleeping the day away? Then yes."

She smiled and stroked Plagg's ear. "Well, I declare you both back to one-hundred-percent. But don't forget to keep your stock of camembert up; we've now seen what dumpster-diving for two weeks does to this poor thing."

Plagg did a backflip in the air. "See, I _told _you that camembert was necessary!" Plagg slipped back into Chat Noir's insulated camembert pocket and took the doctor's order very seriously.

"Thanks again for helping him," Chat sighed as Ladybug returned the vial of elixir to the bottom of the miracle box and started closing it up.

"Of course, that's what guardians do," she smiled. "Although Tikki was right—he's a tough little guy. I don't think any of the other kwamis would have fared as well under those kind of conditions." She removed the peacock brooch and rubbed her thumb over it gently. "Duusu's still struggling, and probably will for some time."

He squeezed her shoulders gently. "But she's with the guardian now, she'll make it." Ladybug nodded absentmindedly and returned the brooch to its spot. Then she traced the empty hole where the butterfly should have rested.

"Do you think we'll ever get Nooroo back home?"

Chat took her hand in his and used his other hand to tilt her chin to face him, "Yes, Milady, I know we will."

* * *

Marinette dropped to her belly and rolled to hide behind the barrier. A deep breath in, eyes closed, listening for any sound that might give him away. Her finger was poised on the trigger, tense with anticipation. Then, she heard it like a whisper-the careful footfalls of her opponent. She pounced. Her months of training both on the rooftops of Paris and in the gym were put to good use as she took three running steps, a massive leap, and did an aerial cartwheel right in front of him, placing a well-aimed shot right at his chest at the height of her arc. She landed on her feet and lifted her weapon in triumph. "Haha! I win!"

Adrien's laser gun dropped to his side and his jaw fell open. "How did you… what in the…" he babbled.

She lifted her nose in the air and tucked her laser gun in its holster. "I'd offer you best out of thirteen, but I'd probably just kick your tail again."

His eyes popped and his hand to the small of his back in a peculiar manner, but then he shook his head and laughed. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng… who would have guessed is a lasertag extraordinaire? You're incredible; it's like you spent the summer training or something."

She blushed furiously. "Well, I-I-I mean, I did take a few kickboxing lessons this summer…" She was stammering again.

Adrien's face split into one of those dazzling model smiles and Marinette lost her balance. He slipped his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling, but that only made her knees shake more. "And _there's _the Marinette I know and love." Her eyes flew open at the word 'love.' "Want to go get some ice cream or something?" he asked softly.

Her tongue suddenly felt very thick. Rather than risk making a babbling fool of herself, she nodded. They returned the lasertag equipment and laughed together as they relived the more impressive moments from the game.

As Marinette animatedly recounted that she'd been so shocked when he did a barrel roll off one of the obstacles that she'd dropped her laser rifle and-and insisted that was the _only_ reason he'd gained a point-Adrien had that warm feeling of serenity, of home, wash over him again. He laughed and casually teased off her objections, which caused her cheeks to flare pink again. There weren't many things he was sure of, but he knew in this moment he was happy, and was glad that she was happy too.

Adrien gently took Marinette's hand as they strolled into the quiet Paris evening.

* * *

"Chat, would you mind shaping those loaves?"

"No problem, Mr. Dupain," Chat trilled and started kneading and rolling the dough between his hands, just as Marinette had taught him.

"Here, Chat, try this," Sabine insisted, poking a croissant in his mouth as he worked, "it's a new filling… too much nutmeg?"

He pondered as he chewed, then shook his head, "Nope, though you might want to consider adding a little cardamom—it would really set off the other spices nicely."

Marinette giggled. "You guys are the worst. Chat came here to hang out, not be turned into your personal assistants!"

Chat's smile stretched from ear to ear. "I like helping out."

Marinette tapped her lips as she examined the pile of homework in her lap. "Well, in that case, do you have any idea how to calculate the rotational speed of the galaxy by using redshift?"

"Well, Miss Dupain-Cheng…" he crooned, finishing the loaf he was shaping and then leaning so he was mere centimeters from her face, "…it's your lucky day, because this Kitty's an astronomy ex-_purr_-t."

Marinette stroked her chin. "Is that so?"

"It is. Although, I don't know why you need to study the galaxy—your eyes are already more brilliant than the stars."

"I dunno," she countered seamlessly, "I've been surrounded by an awful lot of _dark cat-ter_ recently." She poked him in the inky blackness of his chest. "You could say I've passed the _event fur-rizon…"_

"Knock it off, you two—" Tom chortled from the brick oven, "—there's no _escape velocity paw-_sible for bad puns."

"Tom!" Sabine warned, "let those two get to work! They'll never overcome the _gravi-tail-tional pull_ of your hilarity!"

"No, no, Dad," Marinette cried, clutching the countertop and pretending to get sucked toward her father by her toes, "don't _spag-cat-tify _me!"

They were all laughing so hard that they barely noticed the AkumaAlert flashing across the television screen in the corner of the bakery. "Oh drat, looks like I've got an appointment," Chat sighed. "But I'll come right back and relieve you of your astronomy woes, _Purr-_incess." Chat bowed to Marinette's parents, and made for the door.

"That's right, because I don't know what I'd do without my _ex-purrt, Sir Paw-king! _No, no, _Feline-stein!"_

His laugh faded as he spun his staff and flew toward the battle.

"I'm going to finish my homework upstairs," Marinette scrambled, still smiling, and raced up the stairs and out of sight.

Sabine gently rubbed Tom on the back as she watched her daughter race from the room. "I do like that young man," she gushed. "I'm so glad Gabriel's given him a bit more free time. He's so much happier now than he was last year."

"Shh, Sabine," Tom frantically exclaimed, "Marinette hasn't left yet, she might overhear you!" Sabine shrugged and turned to the television to watch the news footage. "Though, I do believe he's got to be the worst parent on the planet—what kind of father doesn't notice that his own son is Chat Noir?"

Sabine smiled and replied, "Now now, if I'm not mistaken, it took _you _several months..."

Tom blushed deeply, "Well, if you weren't so _principled, _you might've told me."

"It's a good thing I _am _so principled, otherwise everyone-"  
"-yeah yeah, I know," Tom muttered, "everyone would know, worst of all-the two of them, and loved ones would be in danger and the magic wouldn't work right and yadda yadda yadda…" Then, he murmured under his breath, "Still, I can't fathom how you sorted it out so easily."

Sabine laughed quietly and kissed her husband. "Mother's intuition."

_"Ladybug and Chat Noir have arrived and are now fighting the villain calling themselves…" _Nadja Chamack's voice reported from the television screen.

Tom wrapped his arm around his wife and devoted his attention to the news. "I do love watching our daughter work," he sighed, kissing Sabine's hair gently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* * *

_**Author's Note:** This has been such a fun project to work on! I hope you all enjoyed it; drop me a line if you did! I may have to make fanfic a more permanent part of my stress relief arsenal. Happy Holidays, everyone, and take care! -Mommadon_


	14. Sequel chapter 1 preview

_**Author Note:**_

_By popular request (read: my betas asked me), I am excited to announce that a sequel to this fic is in the works! I will begin posting in a couple of weeks, once I can ensure that it will be exactly the piece I want it to be. I will link it together when I start posting, so if you're interested you can read on. Here is a sneak peek!_

_Content warning: implied suicide_

* * *

Chapter 1: Returning

Lila Rossi was seated in a chair by a window, through which the autumn-leaf-filtered light was streaming. Her shoulders were slumped, and her eyes were vacant—just like they always were nowadays.

"Oh look honey, your friend Marinette left you a beautiful drawing, isn't that nice?" her mother was saying. Lila blinked slowly but didn't move. She never moved.

Her mother insisted on coming to her room every day, reading her stories, watching television with her, holding her hand, brushing her hair, and doing whatever else she could to still feel somewhat like a mother. It assuaged her guilt, if only slightly.

There was a terse knock on the door before it opened without consent. Nathalie Sancoeur, flanked by an austere lawyer in a grey suit, swept in. The sight of the woman made Lila's mother want to vomit.

"You!" she managed, scrambling to her feet and holding her arms out to shield her shell of a daughter from Nathalie, "You did this! You stole my daughter from me!"

Nathalie pursed her lips as she looked the woman up and down. "Ms. Rossi, I'm not here to validate your accusations. You had no objection to your daughter signing on as a _Gabriel _brand employee, and as I recall, were quite eager to grant us guardianship for the duration of the tour. The fact that she, of her own volition, breached that contract, stole thousands of euros, destroyed property, and…" Nathalie's voice drifted off expertly, allowing the poor woman to dissolve into shaking sobs of grief and anger. "But like I said, that is not why I'm here. You've made your case in a court of law. I'm here to offer you a settlement."

Lila's mother's face contorted in confusion. "A settlement? Why would I want to settle? You… you lost me my daughter!"

Nathalie thumbed through some things on her tablet and started ticking off her evidence. "Your daughter? The one you cared for so deeply that you didn't even notice when she was truant for nearly four months? Or the one you loved so desperately that you signed over your parental rights for… what was the figure…"

"_That's enough," _Lila's mother hissed, tears welling in her eyes.

Nathalie took a step toward her, "I know you're feeling guilty about the way you neglected your daughter. I know this lawsuit is just a way to save face; to make you appear that you actually cared. I know you secretly wish she'd just died and spared you from a lifetime of this—" Nathalie gestured toward the walking vegetable that was Lila— "and I know that secret wish is eating you alive. I'm offering you a way out."

Lila's mother sunk back to the edge of the bed and dropped her face in to her hands. "What did you have in mind?" she whispered desperately.

Nathalie dismissed the lawyer with a nod. When the two women were safely alone, Nathalie sat down beside Lila's mother. "Let me make all your problems go away. You drop the lawsuit, we will reward you handsomely. We're even prepared to clear all the negligence charges the on your record. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for Lila's performance in England or the, er, fiasco here in Paris afterword, but considering her current state, we will assure that those charges are dismissed as well."

Ms. Rossi was not a stupid woman. She was driven, career-oriented, and the day she'd discovered she was pregnant she'd felt like her whole life was over. She'd never felt that maternal bond with her daughter that people talked about. Was she a bad mother? Probably. Was she negligent? Even she had to admit that was also true. But was she stupid? Definitely _not. _She knew Nathalie's offer was too good to be true.

"What's the catch?"

Nathalie swallowed and very careful spoke, so every syllable was crystal clear: "Relinquish your daughter."

Her eyebrows knit together, and her eyes bulged. "What?"

"Give her to us. We will assume full responsibility for her boarding and care. I assure you, she will be given every comfort."  
"There's still got to be a catch."

Nathalie's eyes narrowed slightly, "You will never be able to see her again."

The silence in the room was thick and stagnant. Lila's mother would recall this moment, in later years, with a distinctive memory of the stench of it: the foul odorous mist of silence wrapping around her and chilling her to her core. It would be a memory that would return in the dark hours of the night and cocoon her again and again, and elicit the quaking screams that pierced every thought and every action and eventually found her begging for relief from the bottom of a bottle, until, at last, twelve years later, she would be relieved from the burden of it all through the assistance of a trigger that was far too easy to pull.

But as the memory was being created, all she could do was feel the silence weigh on her as she pondered Nathalie's words. Here, today, she couldn't see how Lila remaining in the care of the State would help her at all. And the financial drain of keeping Lila here was already destroying her.

If she'd known how much she would one day regret these words, she never would have spoken them. But today, it was a simple solution to what she regarded as her biggest problem. "Alright, you've got a deal."


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note: I'm sorry, I couldn't find any other way to alert my dearest followers of the publishing of the sequel, other than to post a new chapter here. Here is a link to "Unlocked."

s/13520443/1/Unlocked

Enjoy!


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